A Cosmic Shift
by grpruett
Summary: Half-mortals (demigods) had scattered magical items that had belonged to the Olympians across the mortal realm. Athena and Hermes were able to capture the half-mortals, and for help on recovering the items they made a deal with Micki Foster for her assistance. The Road Not Traveled story was revised and is now the first 4 chapters of this story after the prologue.
1. Prologue

**A/N 1:** This story uses the characters and story line from Friday the 13th, the series (AKA: Friday's Curse). Within the Friday the 13th show, it had hinted that the store "Curious Goods" was located in or somewhere near Chicago, so in the story "Curious Goods" will be located in Chicago.

In later chapters, this story will also use the characters from the Chicago franchise world (Chicago Med and Chicago Fire, and possibly Chicago P.D. and its natural NBC crossover show Law & Order).

 **A/N 2:** The Road Not Traveled (Part 1 to Part 4) that will follow the Prologue was listed on Friday the 13 category. That story had been deleted. A slight revision of the story is now the first 4 chapters of the story that I'm working on now.

I do not own, nor do I have any rights to the aforementioned shows. This story is solely for entertainment.

A Cosmic Shift

Prologue

The Underworld (Hades' Kingdom) was neither heaven, nor hell; it was a place for the souls to go to reflect on its past actions once its mortal life had ended.

Hades (the ruler of the Underworld) was neither good, nor evil, nor does he punish sinners when their souls enter the Underworld. The souls of sinners would punish themselves during self-reflection as the souls equally reflected back onto themselves all of the sins they had committed.

More than two thousand years ago, only the souls of the dead had gone to the Underworld, and once their self-reflection was over—whether if it took a few hours or several decades—the souls would be reincarnated and then the process would repeat.

Also more than two thousand years ago, half-mortals (first generation offspring between a mortal and a God; AKA demigods, or the first generation offspring between a mortal and a demigod who had god-like abilities in some form or another) lived side-by-side with mortals.

The Gods (the Olympians and Hades) had interacted with mortals and half-mortals. They had even bestowed gifts (elixirs, items and raw materials imbued with magic) upon the mortals and half-mortals so they could cast bridled magic (magic that can be easily controlled by the gods). However, those gifts were just a small taste though that left a powerful desire to obtain unbridled magic. But because of the aggressiveness that the mortals had towards each other and how they would misuse the magical gifts that they had been given already, Zeus denied them unbridled magic, and so mortals turned to the Dark Lord (the devil) to obtain it.

The Dark Lord reveled in violent-deaths and chaos; however, he wasn't free to kill or spread chaos on his own, so he welcomed each mortal—and even half-mortal—who yearned for unbridled magic with opened arms, but in return, each mortal or half-mortal had to forsake the Gods and become his agents; someone who would kill and cause mayhem in the name of their new master—the Dark Lord.

As the time went on, many of the Dark Lord's agents ascended to become vampires and demons, and as the Dark Lord's forces slowly and continuously grew, Zeus came to the conclusion that the only true method to combat the Dark Lord was to take back every gift that the Gods had given the mortals and for them (the Gods) and the half-mortals to go into seclusion.

Hollows within the Underworld were created to bury the magical items, and a vault within Mount Olympus was created to store the raw materials that were imbued with magic.

The half-mortals were given the option to be reincarnated purely as mortals or live within the mock-venues (hollows within the Underworld created solely for them that would imitate the mortal realm).

In the very beginning of the Gods and half-mortals' seclusion, very few half-mortals had given up their ability to be reincarnated, but as time went on, more and more half-mortals had reconsidered and allowed themselves to be reincarnated in order to rejoin the mortal realm.

As the centuries slowly passed, the half-mortals who lived in the mock-venues longed for the day when Zeus would reverse his decision of them being in seclusion. Many of them had even voiced their discontent for not being able to return to the mortal realm as half-mortals, and a few of them—even though they knew what their punishment would be—had threatened to take action themselves by giving unbridled magic to the mortal realm if the opportunity would ever present itself.

As time moved into the present, Kristopher (a half-mortal who had the ability to move between the past by seven days and the present) developed a deep-seeded grudge against the Gods and the mortals and secretly turned to the Dark Lord.

With the Dark Lord's help, Kristopher came up with a plan that would release unbridled magic onto the mortal realm, and in returned for the Dark Lord's help, Kristopher was to protect the Dark Lord's agents and demons.

At the very beginning of the month of May, Kristopher began by putting a spell on Neopolis (the great-grandson of the sea god Poseidon) and having him move a large container that was sitting at the deepest depths of the ocean to shallows waters. The container was filled with cursed items—items that was purposely plunged into the deepest part of the ocean twenty-five years before.

During the last week of the month of May, Kristopher—with the Dark Lord's help—became invisible to the Olympians and snuck into the Olympians' vault, grabbed everything that was there and snuck out. He then tricked Ambrose, Goran, Kellogg, Thanos, Isadora and Kristabella (half-mortal who had the ability to transmogrify raw materials into useful items) into taking that magically enhanced raw materials to the mortal realm, creating jewelry and trinkets with them and selling the magically enhanced items to the mortals.

Next, Kristopher—while again invisible to everyone in the Underworld—dug up several magically enhanced items and one hundred magically enhanced coins that were buried within the hollows of the Underworld. And those items and coins were then distributed within the mortal realm.

Kristopher then stole twenty-five gallons of Hecate's water (water that was imbued with magic) and two scrolls that each had a powerful incantation written on it.

The water was then divided into five portions and anonymously given to Lilith, Kingston, Dayton, Aliza, and Rory (half-mortals who had voiced their desire to unleash unbridled magic onto the mortal realm to other half-mortals). Along with the water, the five half-mortals were given instructions on how to get the water to the mortal realm and how to release the water into the atmosphere.

Days later, after the water was in the atmosphere, rain enriched with magic was to soak the mortal realm and released unbridled magic across the globe.


	2. The Road Not Traveled Part 1

**The Road Not Traveled Part 1**

On May 31st, meteorologists from several countries had predicted higher than normal precipitation within the next ten days for several areas of the globe.

During a warm Wednesday evening in Chicago, in the first week of June, around 7:25 P.M., at 'Curious Goods' antique store, Micki Foster (the sixty-year-old sole owner of the store) led the twenty-two-year-old worker (Jason Pike) towards the stairs that led to the vault. Jason was 6' 2" and muscular, and as he followed Micki he carried a mirror that was 7' tall and 4' wide.

"Let me see if I got this straight," Jason said in a disbelieving tone as he followed Micki. "Your Uncle Lewis owned this store, and thirty-eight years ago he made a deal with the devil to sell cursed objects like this mirror, and once you and your cousin Ryan inherited the store about thirty-three-years ago, you two and two other men named Jack Marshak and Johnny Ventura went around and collected those cursed objects."

"Correct," Micki replied as she led the way down the steps. "However, Ryan had to leave us not long after Johnny had joined the group. Anyway, I thought we had found the last cursed object that we were ever going to find twenty-five years ago, but apparently I was mistaken. I still can't believe that this mirror had been hidden away behind a false wall inside this store all this time and its curse was never activated."

"Besides the glass pieces of the mirror reassembling itself without a trace of crack seams after being broken, what else does it do?" Jason asked.

"I don't know, and hopefully we will never find out," Micki said as she and Jason were reaching the vault. "Anyway, here's the main vault. The other vault is below us and it's more of a chamber than a vault."

"Are there cursed objects inside this vault here that can pound on the door?" Jason quickly asked as he stepped towards the door.

"Of course not," Micki said.

"Okay, well, do you not hear that?" Jason quickly asked.

Micki stopped and listened, and when she heard what Jason was referring to, she uttered, "Oh my God. It sounds as if there's someone inside the vault."

Micki turned the secret brick that opened the vault door, and once it opened wide enough, an eight-year-old girl with long red hair rushed out.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," the girl said as she hugged Micki. Micki was confused at what to do and rubbed the girl's back. "It was getting quite stuffy in there."

"Who are you, young lady, and how did you get inside there?" Micki demanded to know.

"Grandma, it's me, Lizzy," the girl said as she took a couple of steps back. Micki was speechless and could only stare at the girl as if she had lost her mind. "And you put me in there while Ryan and Daddy and two women were having an adult discussion with your Uncle Lewis. Antiques began to magically appear within seconds apart from one another too, Grandma, after you shut the storage room door. How is that possible for antiques to appear like that?"

"Lizzy, I'm not sure how you got in there or what is going on here, but I regret to say that I have no children," Micki replied. "You are not my granddaughter."

"What are you talking about, Grandma?" Lizzy asked. "Dad and Uncle Jacob are your children. Where is Dad, anyway? Is he upstairs with Ryan?"

"No." Micki then said as if she was making it up as she went, "Your dad and Ryan are out." Micki then had a thought and gestured towards Jason. "Say, Lizzy, have you met my friend yet?"

"No," Lizzy said, "Who is he?"

"Big boys and big girls introduce themselves to each other," Micki told Lizzy. "So while using your full name, you should introduce yourself to him and he will introduce himself to you."

Lizzy gestured for Micki to move closer and when Micki did, Lizzy whispered, "You, Mom and Dad told me not to talk to strangers."

"Yes," Micki agreed quickly. "You are so right. It is never safe to talk to strangers, but I know him. He's not a stranger to me, so it is safe for you to talk to him."

Lizzy nodded before facing Jason and saying, "Hi. Everyone calls me Lizzy, but my name is actually Elizabeth Catherine McNulty." Micki gasped slightly when she heard Lizzy's last name. "Are you okay, Grandma?"

"Yes, I'm fine, sweetie," Micki replied, which brought a pleasant grin across Lizzy's face. Micki then turned towards Jason and whispered in his ear. "Tell her your name and then ask about her parents' names?"

Jason nodded before introducing himself to Lizzy. He then continued to say, "So, Lizzy, tell me about yourself. Where were you born and who are your parents?"

Lizzy's expression turned to an uncertain one to Jason's inquiry before answering with, "I'm from Springfield, Illinois, and my parents are Lloyd Nicholas McNulty, Junior and Karen Louise McNulty."

"So, Lizzy, how old are you?" Jason asked.

"I'm eight," Lizzy replied. Before Jason could think of his next question, Lizzy turned towards Micki and asked, "So, Grandma, when are Dad and Ryan coming back?"

Micki made a facial gesture as if she was stumped before saying, "I don't know, sweetie. So we should put the mirror inside the…" Micki made a gesture towards the vault before continuing to say, "Inside the storage room and go upstairs and wait for them."

"There's not much room in there, Grandma," Lizzy replied. "Once those antiques began magically appearing, they took up most of the room. How did they do that anyway, Grandma?"

"That's an excellent question, Lizzy," Micki replied. "And I'm going to do my best to figure it out." Micki then gestured towards the vault. "Anyway, Jason, please put the mirror inside."

Jason nodded before stepping into the vault.

Jason was only in the vault for a very short time before he left the vault with a battery operated lantern that was turned on.

"Is this yours, Lizzy?" Jason asked as he turned off the lantern.

"It's Ryan's. It was lying by the large pirate chest," Lizzy replied while gesturing to an empty floor. "The pirate chest is gone. Did Dad and Ryan move the chest, Grandma?"

"They must have, sweetie," Micki replied as she moved to close the vault. "Anyway, let's go upstairs."

"Okay," Lizzy said as she led the way up the steps.

Micki followed Lizzy, and as Jason followed Micki, he carried the lantern.

Upstairs, the shop was in order except for a gaping hole in the false wall.

Once Lizzy got upstairs, she stopped in her tracks and uttered, "Grandma! Grandma!"

"Lizzy, sweetie, what is it?" Micki quickly asked as she caught up with her.

"What happened to the store?" Lizzy asked.

"What do you mean what happened to the store?" Micki asked as she looked around. "Are you talking about the hole in the wall?"

"No, not that," Lizzy replied. "Ryan did that. I'm talking about everything else. The store is completely different from when you, Dad and I got here. Was it magic too that change the store."

"I…" Micki was only able to get out before heavy pounding was heard on the front door. "Now who could that be?"

When Micki moved towards the door, Lizzy and Jason followed.

Once Lizzy saw Melanie Cahill—a 6' 0" tall, sixteen-year-old woman—through the glass, she anxiously told Micki, "Grandma, it's that tall scary lady again who told you and Dad that Dad and I are paradoxes."

"Okay, well, let me find out what she wants," Micki said as she moved closer to the door.

As Micki moved towards the door, Jason followed slightly, and Lizzy stayed behind Jason.

Once Micki unlocked and opened the door, she questioned, "Yes, young lady? May I help you?"

Melanie was attractive and slender with an hourglass figure. Her lengthy fingernails were unpolished. She had brown eyes and her long dark brown hair that fell to her waist was still damp from her recent shower. She wore denim shorts, a Miranda Lambert T-shirt, pink tennis shoes and a watch. The long strap of her denim purse crossed her back and chest from her left shoulder as her purse hung near her right hip.

While not attempting to enter the store, Melanie demanded, "You must destroy that mirror before he comes through that mirror again."

"What mirror?" Micki questioned. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Had you not found the mirror inside the wall yet," Melanie rattled off as she looked at her watch. "No you had to have found it; it's 7:30 P.M."

"Fifteen minutes ago we found a mirror behind a fake wall—a wall that was rapidly crumbling apart for the past twenty-four hours," Micki replied. "That mirror is now locked away in a storage room."

"But you need to destroy it," Melanie insisted. "It's important that you destroy it." Micki pursed her lips while trying to find the correct excuse on why the mirror was in the vault. "Oh, I never considered that," Melanie continued as if to herself. Before Micki could ask her question, Melanie quickly continued with, "You're not a collector of evil things, are you, Micki? You're the warden of evil things that can't be destroyed."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Micki questioned.

"I'm Melanie Cahill. My family and I live just down the road from here. In fact, my mom comes in here all the time. I don't though. Normally, I steer clear of this place."

"Wait," Micki quickly requested. "You're April Cahill's daughter."

"I am," Melanie replied.

"Wow, you're as tall as your mom," Micki took note of.

Melanie slightly grinned before saying, "We're both 6' 0"; although my mom thinks that I haven't reached my adult height yet. My mom was seventeen before she reached her full height and I just turned sixteen on May 31st. And if my two younger brothers grow tall too once they each reach their adult height, my dad will be the shortest one in my family. My dad is only 5' 9"."

Micki grinned before backing up and gesturing. "Come in." Melanie hesitated slightly, before taking a breath of courage and cautiously stepping in. "It's a few days late, but happy birthday, Melanie."

"Thanks," Melanie replied with a pleasant grin.

"Anyway, Melanie, is there a reason why you steer clear of this place?"

"Your shop is boiling over with evil," Melanie replied as she stopped walking just inside the door. "I can feel it. I can feel it when I'm across the street."

"Melanie, are you a psychic?" Micki asked as she relocked the front door to the shop.

Melanie stared at Lizzy for a moment with an unreadable expression on her face before breaking her stare and shrugging. "Thoughts, images and strong feelings will overwhelm me sometimes. Also I get dreams of people I haven't met and places I never been to. I do get frequent dreams about you and this store."

"What are your dreams about me?" Micki asked.

Melanie shrugged before saying, "Mainly of you, your cousin Ryan Dallion and two other men traveling around and collecting antiques. I don't really remember a lot of the details of my dreams, but I'm always left with a strong feeling about you."

"What is the feeling you get about me?" Micki asked.

"That you're a good and kind person, Micki, but you worked inside an evil building. I didn't know why you chose to do that before, but I understand why now."

"Melanie, the building itself isn't evil," Micki replied quiet enough so Lizzy couldn't here. "But there are items that I keep locked up downstairs that are evil."

"There must be a lot of evil things downstairs for me to feel the evil so strongly when I'm across the street," Melanie said.

"There are way too many evil items," Micki agreed and again kept her voice down so Lizzy couldn't here. "Anyway, Melanie, you came here and demanded that I destroy the mirror. What do you know about the mirror?"

"That's not a short story," Melanie replied.

"I have time if you do," Micki told Melanie.

Melanie considered her choice for a moment before taking a breath and saying, "I have time."

Micki gestured deeper into the store. "Let me introduce you to Jason and Lizzy."

"I know who Lizzy is," Melanie replied. "What I don't know is how she's here. She doesn't belong to this world."

"I have already figured that out for myself," Micki replied. "But somehow she is here, so don't say anything to her about her not belonging."

"Okay," Melanie said with an agreeing nod.

"Let me introduce you to Jason and then you can tell me what you know about that mirror," Micki suggested.

As Micki and Melanie walked towards Lizzy and Jason, Lizzy remain partially out of sight to Melanie behind Jason.

"I scared you earlier, Lizzy, and I'm sorry I did that," Melanie told her as she and Micki stepped up to Lizzy and Jason.

"I overheard you telling Grandma and my dad, that my dad and I don't belong," Lizzy replied.

"You're here now, so clearly you do belong," Melanie told Lizzy. "I'm sorry that I said that about you. Will you accept my apology?" Lizzy pursed her lips before reluctantly nodding. "Great. And in case you don't remember me, Lizzy, I'm Melanie Cahill."

Lizzy again nodded in agreement.

"Hi, Melanie, I'm Jason Pike," he said with a wave.

"It's very nice to meet you, Jason," Melanie replied as she was noticing how muscular he was.

"Jason. Melanie and I are going to talk," Micki began. "Why don't you take Lizzy for some ice-cream?"

"Okay," Jason replied.

Before anything else could be said or done, Micki uttered, "Oh, wait! Lizzy, sweetie, your grandma can't remember things like she used to. I know for a fact that your grandfather can't eat ice-cream. Remind me again if you can."

"I can eat ice-cream," Lizzy quickly said.

"Great," Micki replied. "Jason, you should take Lizzy to that Ice-cream parlor on Broadway Drive. They have a couple of arcade games there that she could play for an hour or so."

Jason nodded in an understanding manner before saying, "Will do. Lizzy, let's go."

"Bye, grandma," Lizzy said as she and Jason walked away.

"Have fun, sweetie," Micki told Lizzy. As Lizzy and Jason were heading for the door, Micki gestured towards the stairs. "Melanie, there's a small kitchen upstairs. Let's go there and talk."

Melanie nodded before following Micki to the stairs.

Along the right wall on the mid-level balcony was a well-kept vintage desk. A dark brown desk chair was pushed in at the desk. Mounted on the back wall of the mid-level balcony (between the door that Micki was approaching and the far right wall) was a large corkboard filled with letters, flyers, pictures and business cards. On the vintage desk were a desktop computer with wireless internet service, a monitor, a mouse, a pair of speakers, an all-in-on inkjet printer, in-and-out trays filled with papers, books, catalogs and a pencil holder filled with pens and pencils. More books sat on the floor around the desk.

Micki and Melanie was reaching the mid-level balcony soon after Jason had opened the front door, and once the front door closed behind Lizzy and Jason, Melanie asked, "How is it that you know who Lizzy's grandfather is?"

"I was able to get Lizzy to introduce herself to Jason, and during the introductions, I learned what Lizzy's last name was and that her father's name was Lloyd Nicholas McNulty Junior. When I inherited this store from my Uncle Lewis thirty-three years ago, I was engaged to a man named Lloyd Nicholas McNulty. So I don't have to be a genius to figure out that puzzle," Micki replied just before reaching the second floor. Melanie made an agreeing murmur. "Anyway, what can you tell me about that mirror?"

"There are gaps of information missing, and I'm certain that those gaps can be filled in if you tell me about your Uncle Lewis and those objects that you have locked away, and the water down version of the story of your uncle will be fine," Melanie said as she followed Micki from the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Okay," Micki replied. Micki waited until she and Melanie were seated at the table before saying, "My uncle dabbled in diablerie, and diablerie—in case you're not familiar with it—is a type of sorcery that deals with the devil. Thirty-eight years ago, he made a deal with the devil, and honest to God, I'm telling you the truth."

"I believe you, Micki," Melanie replied earnestly. "I can feel the evil in this store."

Micki nodded before continuing to say, "Anyway, the devil offered my uncle immortality, wealth and magical powers, and in exchange he had to sell cursed antiques; antiques that can't be destroyed by any means…" Micki stopped talking when Melanie winced and tightly closed her eyes from a sudden and crippling headache. "Are you okay?"

Melanie—with her eyes closed—slightly hesitated before nodding and saying, "I will be. The information I was missing… including all the dreams I had about you and this shop had just snapped into place. It was a lot of information that came at me at once, and my head feels as if it's about ready to explode."

"How often do you get headaches like this?" Micki asked.

"This bad; not often—thank god," Melanie began as she acted as if she was attempting to overcome her headache. "But I do get headaches from time to time if a lot of information comes at me at once."

"I have aspirins if you would like a couple," Micki said.

"That's alright," Melanie replied. "I won't need them." Melanie opened her eyes. "It's slowly fading. Anyway, that mirror was something that your Uncle Lewis magically constructed himself after he sold his first cursed object… oh and that first object he sold wasn't indestructible."

"The first object he sold was a 1919 World Series ring and it's in a vault," Micki replied.

Melanie acted as if she was searching her thoughts before saying, "No. The first object your uncle sold was a 'Moby Dick' book." Micki shot Melanie a curious look as Melanie continued with, "Anyway, your uncle was having buyer's remorse after selling that book and he wanted out of his contract. So, by using that huge mirror, he constructed a magical portal that would send him years into the future and that future was today…"

"He didn't come through the mirror though," Micki told Melanie.

"Actually, he did," Melanie corrected. "His disappearance from his shop and from his timeline had caused major events to happen differently. You and your cousin Ryan still inherited the shop several months after his disappearance, but you became Ryan's silent partner. He ran the store and you went back to your life; however, you would run the store six times a year for an entire week, so Ryan could take a vacation.

"Anyway, Ryan found the mirror in about the same way that you had found it, and after he left the room to get a broom and a dustpan to clean up the debris, your Uncle Lewis came through the mirror…

(Alternate timeline)

Around 7:15 P.M., at 'Dallion's Antiques', Ryan Dallion (the fifty-eight-year-old co-owner of the store) return to the dilapidated false wall with a broom and s dustpan and was greeted by Lewis Vendredi.

"Hello. Who might you be?" Lewis asked Ryan.

"I be the owner," Ryan replied as he glanced towards the unopen front door. "Who the hell are you and how did you get inside without me hearing you?"

"My name is Lewis Vendredi and truthfully, I be the owner," he replied.

"Lewis Ven… wait! Lewis Vendredi went missing thirty-eight years ago and is presumed dead," Ryan replied. "So try again, buddy."

Lewis wore a magical ring on his right hand that greatly influenced a person's mind. The ring was never cursed, so Lewis didn't pay tribute to it, and the magic of the ring was activated by one of two ways—by sight and by touch.

Lewis made a hand gesture while making sure that Ryan saw his ring and restated his name.

Ryan acted as if he was suddenly awakened from a trance, and while being cheerful, he uttered, "Uncle Lewis, wow." He then patted his chest. "It's me, Ryan. Ryan Dallion."

"Ryan," Lewis echoed while looking him up and down. "You look good."

"I look good?" Ryan rhetorically questioned. "Hell, look at you. You looked like you haven't age in thirty-eight years. Anyway, you had been declared dead about thirty years ago. Where have you been?"

"I went for a drive and got into an accident," Lewis began. "I was in a coma for several weeks and when I woke, I couldn't remember anything about myself. A man named Matthew Chase had gone missing about the same time I ended up in the coma, and after I woke, the doctors convinced me that I was Matthew. For thirty-eight years, I lived while thinking that I was him, and then I got into another accident last month, and all of a sudden, my old memories came back to me. Anyway, I realized that this store is yours now. I would like to buy it back. It is yours, right? You're not just working here?"

"Yes, I own it," Riley quickly said. "Well, actually, Micki and I co-own it. I run it though. Micki lives about three and a half hours away with her husband."

"Can you call her and get her out here?" Lewis requested. "I would like to make an offer to buy back the store."

"Sure. Sure," Ryan said while pulling out his smart phone.

Lewis gave Ryan and his phone a baffled look as he watched Ryan dial the phone.

Ryan didn't see the look that he was getting, and when Lloyd Junior answered, Ryan pressed the speaker feature on his phone while saying, "Hey, it's Ryan. Are you Junior or Senior?"

"Junior," he replied. "Do you want Mom, Ryan?"

"Yes, please; thank you," Ryan said.

"Hold on," Lloyd Junior said.

Seconds later, Micki took the phone and said, "Hey, Ryan. You're not ready for another vacation so soon are you?"

"No, I'm good for a few more weeks. Say, there is someone here who really wants to see you."

"Who?" Micki asked.

"If I told you over the phone, you wouldn't believe me. In fact, I'm slightly having a difficult time believing that he's here myself, but it's true. He's here and he wants to see you. How soon can you get here?"

"Can this mystery man stick around until morning?" Micki asked.

When Lewis nodded, Ryan replied, "He'll be here. So can we expect you tomorrow?"

"I'll see you tomorrow morning about… about eleven o'clock," Micki said.

"Okay, bye," Ryan said.

"Bye," Micki replied before Ryan could hang up his phone.

As Ryan was putting his phone away, he told Lewis, "There is a room upstairs that Micki uses when she's here. I don't think Micki would mind if you bunk there for the night."

"Alright, but it's not even seven-thirty yet," Lewis replied as he looked towards the clock that hung on the wall close to him. "I'm not ready to turn in for the night just yet,"

"I wasn't suggesting that," Ryan said.

"Good," Lewis said. "Say, there used to be a restaurant not far from here named 'the thirteenth hour'. Is that still there?"

"Yes, but fifteen years ago, it was remodeled and renamed 'The Gates of…'" Ryan replied.

"I'm sorry? 'The Gates of' what?" Lewis questioned.

"Of nothing," Ryan informed with a shrug. "The name of the restaurant is simply, 'The Gates of…' I'm assuming it's up to each customer to supply the missing word. But most people call the restaurant 'The Gates of Hell.' They do fix one hell of a steak. Say, I haven't eaten dinner yet. I was planning to warm something up in the microwave, but instead, how about we go to 'The Gates of…' I'll buy."

"Sounds good," Lewis said before gesturing for Ryan to go first. "After you."

Ryan nodded before checking his pockets and saying, "Good, I have everything. Let's go."

When Ryan walked towards the door, Lewis followed.

During the drive to the restaurant, Ryan and Lewis's conversation was mainly Lewis telling Ryan a tall tale about how he lived two counties over as a widower for the past five years and a Walgreen cashier/manager for the past twenty years.

In Melanie's bedroom, Melanie (while dressed in denim shorts, a Miranda Lambert T-shirt and pink tennis shoes, and her long brown hair that fell to her waist was still damp from her recent shower) was sitting at her desk while going through a list of names that she created and calling each of them.

When each person answered, she told him or her, "I took a nap earlier and I had a strange dream about you. Are you and your family okay?"

"Everything's fine," most of them told her. Others blew Melanie off for Melanie being an eccentric.

Melanie had called Andrea (Andi) Voss, her best friend since third grade, first, but had gotten no answer on Andi's cellphone or landline, and when she reached the end of her list, she called Andi's landline again.

When Wendy (Andi's mother) picked up, Melanie requested, "May I speak with Andi, Mrs. Voss? This is Melanie"

"Hold on, Melanie," Wendy replied.

Seconds later, Andi got on the phone and asked, "So what's going on, Melanie?"

"Is everything okay with you and your family?" Melanie asked.

"Everything's fine," Andi said in a confused tone. "Why are you asking?"

"I had a weird dream about you," Melanie replied. "And then I couldn't get a hold of you."

"I haven't been able to find my cellphone, and my parents, my grandparents and I just got back from dining out, and your 'I had a dream about someone' saying is your code phrase for when you get psychic feelings about something or someone and you're trying to figure it out. So what's going on?"

"Had I told you that I get psychic feelings before?" Melanie asked.

"No, but I'm not stupid, Melanie," Andi replied. "I figured out that you were a psychic in fifth grade, and I didn't say anything because it was your secret to share if you wanted to."

"Yes, well, I didn't want you to think that I was a freak," Melanie replied.

"You're definitely not a freak, Melanie," Andi replied which brought a grin to Melanie's face. "Anyway, what gives? Why are you really calling for?"

"I don't know," Melanie said. "I was taken a shower and a weird and indescribable feeling shot through me."

"Perhaps you felt a Death Star blowing up a planet," Andi joked.

"Andi, I don't' like those types of jokes," Melanie snapped. "It's bad enough I have to put up with those jokes from my two little brothers."

"Okay-okay, I'm sorry," Andi replied. "I know you told me that the feeling you got was indescribable, but try to describe it anyway."

Melanie made a confused sound before saying, "I don't know. That's the problem. I just feel that things are just not right and I can't put my finger on it."

"Perhaps you picked something up from 'Dallion's Antiques' that you're getting a bad vibe on," Andi suggested.

"'Dallion's Antiques?'" Melanie echoed curiously. "Where's that store at?"

"It's that antique store down the street from you," Andi quickly said. "How do you not know the store's name when you go there all the time?"

"Okay, one, the store's name is 'Curious Goods' and two, there's something evil about that store and I won't go anywhere near it. In fact, I will always cross the street to avoid walking in front of it."

"Melanie, you have never avoided that place; in fact, you and I were in the store just yesterday," Andi informed. "You even bought a lamp for your nightstand to replace the one you broke."

"Okay, yes, I broke a lamp…" Melanie stopped talking when she saw a lamp on her nightstand when she was expecting not to see one. "Andi, I'll talk to you later. I need to go."

"You figured it out, didn't you?" Andi quickly questioned in a tone as if she already knew the answer. "You know what's wrong."

"I don't know what's wrong, but I think I know where to go to figure it out," Melanie replied. "So I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye," Andi said.

At the restaurant, Lewis ordered his food and then excused himself to use the restroom.

After Lewis relieved himself at the urinal, he stepped up to the sink to wash his hands

As he washed his hands while looking into the mirror he saw a burn type wound on his cheek.

"What the…?" Lewis uttered while getting closer to the mirror.

Suddenly his reflection reached out and grabbed him by his throat. As Lewis tried to pull free, his reflection stepped out of the wall and mirror and picked Lewis up by his throat.

After allowing Lewis to choke for a few seconds, Lewis's doppelganger (the devil) threw Lewis across the room. Lewis hit the floor and slid into one of the stalls.

"You think that traveling thirty-eight years into the future is far enough to lose me?" the devil spat. "I'm eternal. There is nowhere you can go to get away from me. I own you and I know when and where you are at all times. Now I don't care if you fulfill our bargain here now or back in the past, but you will fulfill it or I will show you what pure misery is."

"Yes-yes," Lewis humbly said as he moved to one knee and bowed. "I'm sorry, master. I grew up with one of the victims of the 'Moby Dick' book. He was a friend of mine."

"That doesn't concern me and don't let it concern you either. So don't disappoint me again," the devil ordered.

"No-no," Lewis replied. "Thank you, Master, for this second chance."

The devil made a disapproving sound before disappearing from sight and destroying the restroom lights when it did.

Lewis quickly got to his feet and hurried out of the restroom.

As Lewis joined Ryan at the table, he was slightly trembling from his encounter with the devil.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked Lewis as he stared curiously at him.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Lewis snapped.

Ryan slightly hesitated before shaking his head and saying, "No reason, but you look a little rattled."

"I'm not," Lewis quickly defended. "I'm not rattled."

"Okay," Ryan said in an appeasing tone. "Say, do you have any kids? You didn't say earlier."

"No; I don't have any kids," Lewis replied.

Ryan nodded before starting a conversation on movies and TV shows.


	3. The Road Not Traveled Part 2

**The Road Not Traveled Part 2**

5:45 A.M. Thursday morning, Lewis woke up wide awake. After he got up and made his bed, he wrote a note saying that he would be back in time to meet Micki.

Lewis left his note on the bed and then left out the front door.

Ryan woke up by his alarm clock at 8:00 A.M., and once he was up and dressed, he found the note that Lewis had left.

After sighing slightly, Ryan fixed himself a bowl of cereal and watched the early morning news on TV.

At 9:00 A.M., Ryan unlocked the door to the store and flipped the sign to indicate that the store was open.

As Ryan was moving deeper into the store from the front door, the bell on the front door clanged.

Ryan turned, and when he saw who was stepping in, he greeted the customer with, "Morning, Melanie. You're out early."

Melanie wore a blue sleeveless pullover shirt that had white stars and white stripes, denim shorts, her pink tennis shoes and her watch. The long strap of her denim purse crossed her back and chest from her left shoulder as her purse hung near her right hip.

The bell on the front door clanged again when Melanie allowed the door to close behind her, and as she moved towards Ryan, she stared at him as if he was an unknown apparition.

"Is there something wrong, Melanie?" Ryan quickly asked when he noticed the stare that he was getting.

Melanie held her stare, and as she moved closer, she asked, "How long have you known me?"

Ryan stared curiously at Melanie for a brief moment before shrugging and saying, "You were five when you first stepped through the door and your fifteen now."

"Actually I turned sixteen a few days ago on May 31st," Melanie informed.

"Oh, uh, happy belated birthday," Ryan said.

"Thanks," Melanie replied.

"Anyway, you and I have known each other for more than ten years," Ryan said.

Melanie thought for a second before saying, "Ten and a half years ago was when my family and I moved into the neighborhood, and I do think that my mom came in here during our first week in the neighborhood."

"Are you okay, Melanie?" Ryan asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine," Melanie claimed before looking over the layout of the store and noticing the mirror and the gaping hole in the false wall. Melanie gestured towards the wall while asking, "What happened there?"

"Whoever constructed the wall didn't do a good enough job and it finally crumbled away," Ryan replied.

Melanie stepped closer to the wall and mirror, and while getting six feet from the mirror, noticeable goosebumps broke out across her arms and legs, along with having her hairs stand on end.

Melanie slowed her step, and as she rubbed her arms slightly she cautiously stepped up to the mirror.

As Melanie studied the mirror, Ryan asked, "Are you sure you're alright, Melanie?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Say, Ryan…" Melanie abruptly stopped talking and faced him again with sudden awareness. "Hey, I know your name, and it's Ryan Dallion."

"Of course you know my name, Melanie," Ryan replied as he stared at her in a concerned manner. "As I stated moments ago, we have known each other for more than ten years."

Melanie slightly hesitated before nodding and gesturing towards the mirror. "This is a huge mirror. Did you buy it recently?"

"Actually, I found it within the wall," Ryan said.

"Why would someone hide a mirror inside a wall?" Melanie asked.

"That's a good question," Ryan replied. "It's also a question that I can't answer. Anyway, Melanie, did you come in for anything in particular?"

"I just came in to look around," Melanie said. "Anyway, besides the mirror and the wall, had anything else unusual occurred within the last… pff, fourteen hours?"

"Yeah, a tall sixteen-year-old girl from the neighborhood is in here and acting strangely," Ryan joked.

Melanie amusingly chuckled before saying, "Yeah, I suppose I am acting strangely." Melanie then gestured towards the mirror. "So what are you going to do with this? Are you going to sell it?"

"I haven't decided yet," Ryan replied. "Why? Are you interested in buying it?"

Melanie shook her head while saying, "No. I'm only curious; and yes, I know that curiosity killed the cat."

Ryan chuckled slightly before saying, "I can say that I killed my share of cats if that's saying is true."

Melanie amusingly grinned before asking, "In the past, have you ever go from place to place while collecting antiques?"

"I'm in the business of selling antiques; not collecting them, and almost all of these antiques are sold on consignments," Ryan replied.

"So you have never tracked down antiques?" Melanie asked.

"I don't need to track down antiques. I get plenty of merchandize to sell. Did you think that I went from place to place and tracked down antiques?"

Melanie slightly hesitated before sharing, "I get weird dreams, and a lot of my dreams are about you—about you when you were a lot younger—and this store."

"Really?" Ryan uttered in a slightly astonished tone. "And what am I doing in these dreams?"

"You, a redheaded woman around your age, a man who was a lot older than you and another young man would go from place to place and tracked down antiques."

Ryan nodded in an understanding manner before asking, "Was the redheaded woman my cousin Micki?"

"Micki?" Melanie echoed curiously as if she was unfamiliar with the name.

"I have introduced you and your mom to Micki before. She's the redheaded woman who co-owns this store with me," Ryan informed. "She also runs the store for me six times a year for an entire week when I go on vacation."

"Okay, well, in my dreams, I can't really see the redheaded woman's face clearly," Melanie lied. "So most likely the redheaded woman in my dreams is your cousin Micki."

"Since people don't dream in color, how do you know that the woman's hair is red?" Ryan asked.

Melanie shook her head and snorted slightly before saying, "You're one of those who believe that people can only dream in shades of gray. Well, I dream in color all the time, and I don't care what the experts say about it. I'll trust my experiences over doctors' opinions any day."

"Okay," Ryan replied in a tone as if he wanted no part of that debate. "I'll take your word for it."

Melanie gestured towards a shelf of twenty antique dolls, "I'm going to look around."

"Alright," Ryan replied. "Just let me know if you need anything?"

"Will do," Melanie said before she moved towards the dolls.

Ryan watched Melanie and noticed that she held her right hand a couple of inches over one of the dolls for a brief moment before picking it up for a closer exanimation.

"Are you sure that you're okay, Melanie?" Ryan quickly asked.

"I'm fine," Melanie quickly claimed. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because you're acting mighty peculiar," Ryan replied as Melanie put down the doll.

"In what way am I acting peculiar?" Melanie asked as she held her right hand a couple of inches over another doll for a brief moment.

As Melanie went to pick up the doll, Ryan said, "That right there. You held your hand over the doll for a brief moment before picking it up."

"Clearly you have never seen me shop before if you think that this is peculiar for me," Melanie replied as she examined the doll.

Ryan thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, you're right. I never watch you browse before. But why are you doing it?"

"You will only think that I'm either crazy or that I'm making things up," Melanie replied before shrugging. "So I don't bother explaining my quirks anymore."

"Try me," Ryan replied as Melanie was noticing a loose button on the doll's dress.

"Okay," Melanie began before taking a breath. "I can sense things from people and from previously own objects."

"Is that right?" Ryan questioned skeptically. "Are you sensing anything from that doll you're holding?"

"From my sense of sight, I see that this doll is about ready to lose a button," Melanie replied as she held up the doll and pointed to the button. The edge of her lengthy fingernail from her right index finger nudged the button though and the button dropped to the floor and rolled quickly. "Crap. I didn't mean to do that."

"I saw that you didn't do it on purpose," Ryan assured Melanie. "Just bring me the doll and the button."

"Okay," Melanie replied.

The bell on the front door clanged as Melanie went to chase down the button.

When Ryan turned to face the door, he watched as his cousin Micki, Micki's son Lloyd Junior and Lloyd's daughter Lizzy stepped through it.

"Hey, Micki, you're early," Ryan began. The button had come to a rest against a brick wall, and Melanie looked towards the new arrivals as she reached down for the button. "My mystery guest is out at the moment, but he should be back by eleven. Eleven was the time that you were to get here."

When Melanie touched the brick wall with the back of her hand, she was given a vision of three loose bricks within a wall of bricks, and what appeared to Melanie as a giant safe behind the brick wall.

"We were able to get an earlier start than what I had anticipated and Mr. Lead-foot drove," Micki replied while Melanie was having her vision.

"I wasn't going that much faster than the speed limit," Lloyd Junior replied.

"What's wrong with that woman?" Lizzy asked as she stared at Melanie.

Melanie heard Lizzy and stood up with the doll and the button and faced the group.

"A button fell off of the doll that she's holding and she went to get the button," Ryan supplied.

"Lizzy, didn't you say that you need to use the bathroom," Lloyd Junior reminded her.

"I do," Lizzy said before moving towards the stairs.

As Lizzy slowly moved towards the stairs, she watched Melanie as Melanie carried the doll to the counter.

Micki saw the stare that Melanie was giving her, a stare as if Melanie had something to tell her.

Once Melanie had looked away from Micki and stepped up to Ryan without saying a word to her, Micki told Melanie, "I've been told that I am an easy person to talk to, so don't be shy if you have something to tell me."

Lizzy was dawdling on the stairs, and after Melanie handed the doll and the button to Ryan she looked towards Micki again.

After a slight hesitation, Melanie finally took a deep breath and asked, "Have you ever heard of an antique store named 'Curious Goods?'"

"'Curious Goods?'" Ryan echoed curiously as he and Micki searched their thoughts. "That store does sound familiar. Where is that store, Melanie?"

"Wait," Micki uttered over Ryan's last three words. "'Curious Goods' is what that antique dealer had thought that this shop should be called."

"Oh, right," Ryan agreed. "What was his name, John Marshall? No, that wasn't it. What was his name?"

Micki shrugged before sarcastically asking, "How should I know? You're the one who dealt with him, not me."

"Okay, well, I can't remember what his name was," Ryan replied before noticing that Melanie was pursing her lips and looking very troubled.

Micki saw the look on Melanie's face at the same time Ryan did and asked, "Are you okay, young lady?"

"No, I'm not, and neither is anyone here," Melanie snapped.

"What are you talking about, Melanie?" Ryan quickly asked.

Lizzy was on the mid-level balcony and listening as Melanie replied, "This store is called 'Curious Goods', or at least it used to be before yesterday. Something happened yesterday that I can't figure out, and whatever had happened had changed things."

"Changed things?" Ryan asked. "Change things how?"

"This place is called 'Curious Goods'; Micki is supposed to be the one running the store, not you. You're supposed to be somewhere else," Melanie got out before gesturing towards Lloyd Junior. "And when I look at him or the girl, I sense that they are paradoxes. Neither him nor the girl belongs here."

"Ryan, I think you had better call nine-one-one," Lloyd Junior replied. "This girl is clearly out of touch with reality."

"I know I sound that way, but things are not right?" Melanie quickly replied.

"Clearly," Lloyd uttered.

"Okay, time-out," Ryan uttered while making the time-out signal. "Melanie, you and I have known each other for a long time…"

"No, we haven't," Melanie quickly corrected. "I know I had seen you and Micki in my dreams as you two tracked down certain antiques, but you and I were never supposed to have met, and I had only met you today."

"Melanie, I know you and you know me," Ryan replied.

"But we weren't supposed to have known one another," Melanie insisted.

"Okay, fine," Ryan began in an appeasing tone. "Reality has shifted. And since it has shifted, why are you the only one who knows about it?"

"I know things," Melanie began. "Thoughts, images and strong feelings come to me, like those dreams I get about you, Micki and those other two men."

"In your dreams though, Micki and I and those other two men are tracking down certain antiques?" Ryan questioned, as if for verification.

"Yes, and after waking up, I feel as if my dreams were never complete," Melanie replied. "I could never figure out why you want those specific antiques."

"Okay, well, Micki and I have never tracked down antiques," Ryan replied.

"I think you two were supposed to have though." Before anyone could reply, Melanie spouted out, "And I know about your huge hidden safe."

"I have a hidden safe?" Ryan quickly questioned, taken back by what was said.

Melanie smirked before saying, "An image of your safe came to me earlier. I even saw how to get inside."

"Okay, where is this safe?" Ryan quickly said.

"I was never shown where the safe was at," Melanie replied. "So your secret is still a secret."

"Melanie, I have no secret," Ryan quickly said. "I have no safe."

Melanie shot Ryan a curious look before saying, "Oh my god. You don't know it's even there."

"Melanie, there is no safe," Ryan began. "For the past thirty-seven years, this place had been called 'Dallion Antiques' and most of all, reality had not shifted."

Melanie snorted slightly and shook her head before saying, "Find the wall with the three loose bricks and remove the bricks. There you will find your safe."

Without waiting for a reply, Melanie turned and stormed away. When Lizzy saw that Melanie was leaving, she continued upstairs to the bathroom.

As Melanie was storming out from the front door, Lloyd Junior said, "Now that girl needs serious help."

"Perhaps," Micki replied in a tone as if she was considering something. "The wall downstairs does have three bricks in a row that are loose. Or at least it did. Weren't you going to have the wall repaired, Ryan?"

"I was, but each time I would come upstairs to hunt down a repair man, something distracts me and I forget all about the wall," Ryan replied. "I even wrote myself a note a couple of times, but I kept losing the note."

"Perhaps it was a good thing that you forgot all those times to call someone and that you kept losing your notes," Micki replied.

"Mom, you're not seriously considering what that girl said is true?" Lloyd Junior questioned.

"Of course reality hadn't shifted, but Uncle Lewis did have quite of few secret compartments when he owned the store," Micki replied. "So perhaps maybe that that young lady has a second sight, and she psychically saw a safe within the wall."

"Okay, well, I'm going to find out if Melanie is a psychic or just plain psychotic," Ryan replied as he went into the register. "I'm going to remove those three bricks." Ryan picked up a 'Back in Ten Minutes' sign. "First though, I'm going to lock the front door."

After Ryan locked the door and displayed the sign for every customer to see, he, along with Micki and Lloyd Junior, went to the basement.

The left loose brick wiggled more than the center loose brick or the right loose brick, but after a minute of getting nowhere on removing the left brick, he changed his focused to the center loose brick.

After another minute of working on the center loose brick and getting nowhere, he changed his focused again to the right loose brick.

To Ryan's surprise, Ryan was slowly able to inch the right loose brick from its slot, and as the right loose brick was about halfway out, Lizzy—while upstairs—urgently called out, "Dad! Grandma! Ryan! Where are you?"

Lloyd Junior went midway up the steps before hollering out, "Downstairs, sweetheart."

Lloyd Junior turned and stepped down from the steps. As he watched Ryan as Ryan continued to work on removing the right loose brick, Lizzy rushed down the stairs.

"I thought you three left me," Lizzy commented.

"We wouldn't do that sweetheart," Micki replied while making a gesture for Lizzy to move into her arms.

Lizzy moved into Micki's arms and then watched as Ryan removed the brick.

"Are you looking for the safe that that scary woman told you about?" Lizzy asked before Ryan dropped the brick onto the floor.

"I am, and in spite that these three bricks are extremely loose, they are not coming out very easy," Ryan said as he moved his focus back to the center loose brick. "Now that I can get my hand in here, this brick should come out a lot easier."

Ryan put his hand into the empty brick slot and then cut his finger slightly when he grabbed the back of the brick.

"Damn," Ryan uttered while snatching his hand back.

"Are you okay," Micki asked as Ryan examined his slight wound.

"I'm fine. It's not that bad," Ryan replied before sticking his hand into the slot again to try again.

"Lizzy, sweetie, did you hear everything that that woman had said?" Micki asked.

Lizzy nodded before asking, "What are paradoxes?"

Before Micki could explain, Ryan—while sliding the brick straight back—said, "Now this is odd. This brick wasn't anywhere near this easy to pull out a moment ago." Ryan allowed the brick to drop to the ground. "Now let's see if I can get this left brick out."

Ryan grabbed the right side of the final brick and pulled. The brick swiveled clockwise as if it was on a hinge on the brick's left.

A click was immediately heard, followed by the doors to the vault swinging open and striking the brick wall, on the opposite side of the wall, hard enough to smash a large hole in the center of the wall.

Everyone quickly backed up as the bricks fell to the ground, and once the last brick fell, there was a gaping round hole that viewed into the vault.

Above the vault door were a few magical symbols; however, Micki had also seen a Latin phrase. Micki had learned to read Latin during the passing thirty years and she translated the phrase that she saw as being, "The present is shaped by past actions, but inside these doors, past actions has no influence."

"What?" Ryan questioned while drawing Micki's attention.

"That's what that says," Micki replied while looking at Ryan and gesturing above the vault doors.

Ryan looked up above the vault doors, and when he saw nothing written there, he asked, "That's what what says?"

"That…" Micki got out before faintly saying, "Phrase." She then said, "It's… I saw a shadow above the door and that phrase popped into my head."

"Okay," Ryan replied in an uncertain tone. He then shook off what was said and held the battery operated lantern up and looked into the vault.

The only thing inside the vault was a large wooden chest that was locked with a 'skeleton looking in design' padlock. Ancient writings and magical symbols were carved in the wood of the chest.

As Ryan peered into the vault, he commented, "Okay, I supposed that technically this thing can qualify for a huge hidden safe; although calling this thing a safe is a drastic understatement."

"Do you think that Uncle Lewis knew about this?" Micki questioned.

Ryan turned to Micki and was about to answer, but stopped before uttering a syllable.

"I don't know," Ryan finally said with a shrug. He then gestured into the vault. "There's something inside. Lloyd, help me to bring it out."

"Okay," Lloyd Junior said before he and Ryan entered the vault.

"I'm going to switch the 'Back in Ten Minutes' sign to the 'Closed for Inventory and Bookkeeping' sign," Micki hollered into the vault.

"Ah, yeah, that might be a good idea," Ryan called back.

Ryan and Lloyd Junior each grabbed an end to the chest, picked it up and carried it out of the vault. Once they were on the other side of the hole in the wall, they set the chest down.

At Melanie's two-story house at 9:35 A.M., Melanie reached her front door, and while hearing through the closed door she heard her dad saying to someone, "I swear that we will figure this out. So will you please allow me to call Dr. Charles?"

Melanie heard something that she couldn't make out for an answer to her dad's question before she eased opened the door and looked in.

Melanie saw her forty-year-old mom (April), her muscular forty-two-year-old dad (Stephen), her fourteen–year-old brother (Billy), her eleven-year-old brother (Nathen) and Marcus (a forty-two-year-old stranger to Melanie) first before seeing her dad's forty-year-old sister (Becca). Becca appeared to be upset over something. Becca stood 5' 6" and Marcus stood 5' 10".

Melanie had gotten her facial features from her paternal grandmother, so her and April's resemblances to one another were only their tallness, their hourglass figure and their eye color; although like Melanie, April was also very attractive.

As in Melanie's original timeline, April was a second shift nurse in the Intensive Care Unit for Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, and Stephen worked in the human resource department for the same hospital and he was on his fourth vacation day out of five vacation days.

"What's going on?" Melanie asked.

"Aunt Becca has lost it," Billy was the one to say.

"William Benjamin," April hissed. April's fingernails; although long, were slightly shorter than Melanie's fingernails and polished, and her natural light brown hair had barely covered her shoulders. "No one has lost it. Your aunt is just confused."

"I am not confused," Becca said through clenched teeth. She then pointed to Marcus. "He is not my husband."

"Sweetie, we have been married for twenty-two years," Marcus replied. Melanie stared disturbingly at what was being said. "We got married the week after your high school graduation."

"I don't even know who in Hell you are," Becca insisted. "Hell, I haven't lived in Chicago for the last twenty-two years."

"You live in Saint Charles, Missouri, and you're married to Dr. Simon Bergman," Melanie supplied. "You have a nineteen-old daughter named Tonya and seventeen-year-old daughter named Robin."

"Yes," Becca uttered in agreement while pointing to Melanie. "She knows the truth. Why don't the rest of you know the truth?"

"You two are playing some kind of sick hoax on us," Stephen hissed.

"We're not playing a hoax," Melanie and Becca uttered.

"Now I don't know what's going on, Stephen, but something isn't right," Becca continued.

"The only thing that isn't right are your and Melanie's sick imaginations," Stephen uttered.

"Why in Hell are you attacking me?" Melanie uttered.

"Because you and Becca went too far this time and I'm tired of it," Stephen uttered.

"Dad, Aunt Becca had lived in Saint Charles since before I was born, and she's…" Melanie was only able to get out.

"Enough," Stephen ordered. "Now either you two have lost your minds or this is a hoax. Which is it?"

"There's a third option," Melanie quickly defended. "Things and events have changed, and for whatever reason, Aunt Becca and I are the only two who know it."

"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds, Melanie," Stephen hissed.

"Yes; I do, and I'm also right," Melanie replied before gesturing towards Marcus. "And Aunt Becca marrying that man there isn't the only thing that had changed either."

"Melanie, it's me, Uncle Marcus," he replied. "Your dad and I graduated high school together."

"You might have graduated high school with my dad, but you and I have never met," Melanie quickly said. "Or at least we weren't supposed to have met."

"What in Hell is wrong with you two?" Marcus hissed.

"Marcus, let me handle this," Stephen quickly said. "Melanie, you said that your Aunt Becca marrying Marcus isn't the only thing that was changed. What else was changed?"

"There's a different owner to that antique store down the street, and the name of the antique store had changed as well," Melanie replied.

"Are you talking about 'Dallion's Antiques'?" April questioned.

"The name of the store wasn't 'Dallion's Antiques', it was 'Curious Goods,'" Melanie replied.

"That antique store had been named 'Dallion's Antiques' for… for at least thirty-seven years," Marcus said. "Before that it was 'Lewis Vendredi's Antiques.'"

"'Lewis Vendredi's Antiques'?" Becca uttered as if it was a slap in the face. "Are you insane, Stephen? Why in Hell would you live this close to that godforsaken store?"

"There is nothing godforsaken about that store, Becca," Stephen replied.

"Thirty-eight-years ago, Mom was ran down in front of that store and killed," Becca informed.

As Melanie shot Becca a disturbing look, Stephen accused, "Dad told you."

"Dad refuses to tell me shit about how Mom had died," Becca replied.

"You were two years old at the time, Becca, so he had to have told you," Stephen told Becca.

"Mom's death made the papers the next day, so after I got tired of asking Dad and getting nowhere, I searched up the information at the public library," Becca informed. "According to witnesses, Mom was yelling to the people on the streets that Lewis Vendredi was a sorcerer." Melanie's attention had suddenly become more focused solely on Becca. "Lewis Vendredi attempted to hush her up, but couldn't. He then backed away from Mom and that was when some driver lost control of his van and ran over Mom. Mom was on the sidewalk when she was ran over and killed."

"Accidents like that do happen, Becca," Stephen pointed out.

"Not while accusing someone of sorcery they don't," Becca retorted.

"That was a coincidence, Becca," Stephen replied. "Sorcery doesn't exist, and besides, Lewis Vendredi disappeared about six days after mom's death anyway."

"Lewis Vendredi didn't disappear," Becca replied. "He was brutally murdered thirty-three years ago, which was five years after Mom's death. That article was at the library too."

"Okay, I don't know what article you looked at, but it wasn't on Lewis Vendredi," Stephen replied. "Lewis Vendredi disappeared thirty-eight years ago." Stephen looked at Melanie as he continued to say, "And thirty-seven years ago, the shop reopened as 'Dallion's Antiques.'"

"Becca, my dad had shopped at 'Lewis Vendredi's Antiques' before Lewis's disappearance and he continued to shop there long after the store was renamed 'Dallion's Antiques,'" Marcus shared.

"Look, I know what I read," Becca replied. "Lewis Vendredi was murdered thirty-three years ago, and months later, there was a follow up article about Lewis's nephew and niece inheriting the store… and I can't remember their names."

"Ryan Dallion and his cousin Micki," Melanie supplied.

"Micki. Micki," Becca echoed as if she was trying to recall something. "That's it. I read, 'Ryan Dallion and Michelle—Micki in parentheses—Foster reopened after inheriting the store. The name of the store was listed too, and now that I think about it, I do believe that it was renamed 'Curious Goods.'"

"Hey, everyone, that was what had changed," Melanie announced. "Lewis Vendredi was supposed to have died thirty-three years ago, but instead he disappeared thirty-eight years ago."

"Melanie, enough," Stephen ordered. "Nothing was changed."

"Events have changed, Dad, and after hearing what was said, I believe it has something to do with Lewis Vendredi disappearing thirty-eight years ago instead of dying thirty-three years ago."

"And how is it that you and your Aunt Becca are the only two who know it?" Stephen questioned.

"I don't know," Melanie replied.

"Because Melanie and I are very intuitive," Becca supplied. "Stephen, Dad told me once that Mom was very intuitive about things as well. So maybe Mom was right. Perhaps Lewis Vendredi was a sorcerer and somehow he had magically changed things."

"Lewis Vendredi magically changed things," Marcus echoed incredulously. "Do you realize how insane you sound, Becca?"

"Yes, I know how insane I sound," Becca shot back. "But I'm certain that I'm right."

"Melanie; Becca, would you two like to use your intuitions and tell me how Lewis Vendredi was supposed to have magically disappeared from this world?" Stephen requested.

"I wish I knew, but I don't, Stephen," Becca replied.

"I think I know how he did it," Melanie announced. When all eyes turned towards her, she continued to say, "With that mirror that was found last night at the store."

"What mirror, sweetie?" April asked.

"Ryan had found a huge mirror behind one of the walls at the store," Melanie informed. "It was hidden within the wall, and I'm willing to bet that that mirror was found in both… worlds."

"Actually the word would be 'realities' and not 'worlds,'" Billy supplied.

Melanie glanced at Billy before saying, "Regardless to what the correct word is, when I stepped up to that mirror earlier, my arms broke out with goosebumps. I have never felt an eerie feeling like that before."

"Melanie, I think you and I need to visit that store," Becca informed.

"Becca. You and Melanie can't go there and cause trouble," Stephen uttered.

"We're not going to go there to cause trouble," Becca uttered.

"Well, they're not going to believe you if you tell them that reality has changed," Stephen uttered. "Hell, I don't believe that reality has changed. And if you go there, all they are going to do is call the cops."

"Aunt Becca, when I was there earlier I actually tried to tell the people there that…" Melanie glanced at Billy as she continued to say, "That our reality had changed, and one of them had suggested calling the cops on me,"

"Okay, then we will try to figure out what had caused the reality to change without trying to convince people of it," Becca replied.

"Marcus, go guard the back door and don't let Becca or Melanie leave," Stephen ordered. "I'll guard the front door and do the same."

"Are you seriously going to hold me and your daughter prisoner?" Becca demanded.

"Consider this an intervention," Stephen replied. "Until you two come back to reality, neither of you are leaving this house, and Melanie, don't even think about attempting to go out any windows." Stephen gestured towards the couch. "In fact, until I believe that you two have come back to your senses, you two are to sit where I can see you."

"This is a mistake, Dad," Melanie insisted.

Stephen gestured again towards the couch and demanded, "Sit. Both of you."

"You can't hold us prisoners forever," Becca said before taking a seat.

Melanie snorted slightly in disgust before sitting next to Becca.

"So, Marcus," Becca began. "Since we're apparently married in this reality, what is my last name and why did I fall in love with you?"

Marcus shook his head before saying, "Your name is Rebecca Jayne Asher…"

"I know what my first and middle names are," Becca replied. "I have different memories; not no memories.

"Right," Marcus halfheartedly agreed.

"Anyway, what made me fall in love with you?" Becca asked.


	4. The Road Not Traveled Part 3

**The Road Not Traveled Part 3**

At 'Dallion's Antiques' at 9:50 A.M., Lizzy was upstairs reading an old Archie graphic novel. In the basement, Ryan and Lloyd Junior had made failed attempts to pick the padlock and to hammer off the padlock.

Ryan was currently attempting to cut off the padlock with a hacksaw.

After several minutes and not putting a scratch on the lock, Ryan uttered, "What in Hell is this lock made out of? A saw won't cut it, and a hammer won't budge it."

"Should I try my lock-picking skills again?" Lloyd Junior questioned.

"Skills that you should have never acquired from Charlie," Micki replied and studying Lloyd Junior's reaction.

"Mom, it wasn't Charlie, Zack or Bryan who taught me," Lloyd quickly defended.

"Then who was it?" Micki pressed.

"Mom, please, we are trying to open this chest and like I said, I was in high school when I learned how to do it, and I haven't done it in over ten years," Lloyd defended. "Anyway, would you like me to try again to pick the lock or not?"

"I have a better idea," Micki replied.

"What's that?" Ryan asked.

"We need that girl who led us to the vault to come back," Micki said. "What was her name again?"

"That girl is a nut-job, Mom," Lloyd uttered.

"That girl knew about the three loose bricks, and although she thought that the vault was a huge safe, she knew about that too," Micki replied. "So maybe the girl could tell us on how to open the chest."

"Well, I have no better suggestions," Ryan replied. "Everything we're doing to get inside the chest is failing."

"Then I'll go talk to the girl," Micki replied.

"Her name is Melanie Cahill," Ryan said before telling Micki what Melanie's address was.

Lloyd Junior left the basement when Micki did, and as Micki left the shop, Lloyd Junior went upstairs and checked on Lizzy.

As Lloyd Junior was returning to the first floor, Lewis—with a bag of fast-food in his hand—was opening the front door with a key.

"Sorry, sir, we're close today," Lloyd Junior told Lewis as he walked towards him. "The door should have been locked."

"The door was locked," Lewis replied as Ryan was stepping in from the back stairwell. "I have a key."

Lloyd Junior's back was to Ryan and as he skeptically stared at Lewis for a moment, a thought occurred to him. As Lloyd Junior's expression became friendlier, he said, "Oh, you must be the mystery man who my mom came here to see."

"He is," Ryan said and slightly startling Lloyd Junior. As Ryan stepped up to Lewis and Lloyd Junior he continued to say, "Lloyd, meet your Great Uncle Lewis Vendredi."

"My Great Uncle Lewis?" Lloyd Junior quickly questioned skeptically.

"I am," Lewis confirmed as he held out his hand to shake hands. "I take it that you're Michelle's son?"

"Yes," Lloyd Junior replied while shaking hands. Lewis had made sure that he had touched Lloyd Junior with his ring during the handshake. "But she's Micki to everyone who knows her—except for me, my brother and our kids. We call her Mom or Grandma." As Lloyd Junior and Lewis were ending the handshake, Lloyd Junior continued to say, "Anyway, you look awfully young to be my mom's uncle."

"I'm much older than I look," Lewis replied.

"Boy, do you age gracefully," Lloyd Junior said.

Lewis grinned before saying, "You're the tenth person who has told me that today. Anyway, where is your mom?"

"She's out on an errand, but she should be back soon," Lloyd Junior said.

"Hey, Uncle Lewis, when you owned the store, were you aware that there is a vault in the basement?" Ryan asked.

"You found a vault in the basement?" Lewis questioned, and acting unaware of its existence.

"Yeah, it was bricked off," Ryan replied.

"Had you opened the vault?" Lewis questioned.

"We did," Ryan replied. "The only thing in the vault was a large chest, but we can't get the chest open."

"Perhaps it's for the best that you can't get it open," Lewis replied. "After all, when Pandora opened the box that she was given, she released evil onto the world."

"I doubt Zeus or Hera or whichever God had given the box to Pandora had placed the chest in the vault," Ryan said.

"Perhaps it wasn't a god who placed the chest there," Lewis hinted.

"Obviously," Ryan replied.

"I have just come from visiting old friends of mine," Lewis began. "One of them owns a shop with tools that can crack open the chest within seconds."

"Let's consider that as plan… E," Ryan replied. Lewis gave him a curious look. "Micki is out to get help for plan D."

"If she has her phone with her, you can always call her back to the shop," Lewis suggested.

"She's just going a short ways down the road, so it might be too late to call her back," Ryan pointed out. "In fact, she might even be there already."

Lewis nodded before indicating to the bag that he was carrying and saying, "I haven't eaten yet today, so I'm going to go eat before Micki returns."

Ryan nodded before saying, "Alright."

At Melanie's house at 10:10 A.M., Marcus had told Becca about their relationship, their twenty-year-old son and their seventeen-year-old daughter.

Melanie and Becca learned about Marcus's two brothers and about Marcus's parents. Melanie and Becca had also learned about Marcus's paramedic job, and that he had to call in sick several hours ago after Becca ran from the apartment they rented.

"I didn't know who you were or where I was or that our reality had changed," Becca defended.

Marcus sighed before telling Becca about her movie theater job, but before he could go into details about her work, a series of three knocks struck the door.

April was the one who went to the door, and once the door was open, Micki said, "Mrs. Cahill, I'm Micki McNulty. I co-own 'Dallion's Antiques'."

"Yes," April agreed. Everyone in the living room could barely hear what was being said at the front door and quieted down to listen. "I've been in a few times when you would manage the store for Ryan, when Ryan was out or away. What can I help you with, Mrs. McNulty?"

"Starters, you can call me Micki," she replied.

"Okay, Micki," April began with a grin. "You can call me April. Anyway, what can I help you with, Micki?"

"Your daughter Melanie was in the store earlier," Micki replied.

"Yes, she told me that she was there and what was said, and I'm deeply sorry for her behavior," April replied. Melanie made a bitter expression for what was said and pursed her lips as she continued to listen quietly on the couch. "I don't know what had gotten into her today and why she believes that reality had suddenly changed."

"Okay, well, I'm not concern about Melanie's beliefs at the moment," Micki replied. "However, I would like to speak with her if that would be alright with you."

"Okay," April said in a slightly confused tone before backing up. "Come in."

April led Micki to the living room and then introduced everyone to Micki and Micki to them.

"Micki is the one who's supposed to be running 'Curious Goods', and not Ryan Dallion," Melanie made a point to say.

"Melanie, enough," Stephen ordered.

"It's fine, Stephen," Micki replied. "What Melanie believes had already been said at the store."

"Not everything was said at the store because I didn't know everything," Melanie replied.

"Melanie," Stephen said in a warning tone.

"I'm not going to be quiet, Dad," Melanie quickly snapped.

"I'm not going to be quiet about this either, Stephen," Becca chimed in. "Micki has the right to hear everything before she chooses on what to believe."

"I don't understand what is going on, but my sister and daughter seem to share the exact same delusion that reality had been changed," Stephen explained.

"We are not delusional, Stephen, and Melanie and I know when reality had changed," Becca replied. "We're just not certain about how it happened."

"Becca; Melanie, I will hear you two out," Micki replied. "But first, can I say why I am here?"

"Yes, sure. That's fair," Becca replied. "Why are you here?"

"Melanie. Ryan, Lloyd and I searched behind the three loose bricks and found the huge safe that you told us about," Micki began. "And inside the safe was a large chest. However, the chest is locked with a padlock that we can't break, cut or pick. Since you led us to the chest, Melanie, with your psychic ability…"

"My daughter isn't psychic, Micki," Stephen replied.

"Stephen, your daughter knew about the safe, and that it was behind three loose bricks when no one else did," Micki replied.

"Melanie can be a lucky guesser from time to time, but she couldn't predict that her baby brother was going to fall out of a tree and break his leg last year," Stephen replied. Melanie looked at Stephen as if she didn't know what he was referring to and Micki had seen her expression. "If she was a psychic, wouldn't she have seen Nathen getting hurt?"

"I would be lying if I say that I knew anything about psychics, but on everything I have read over the years, I do believe that your daughter is a psychic," Micki replied. "So will you please allow me to ask your daughter what I want to ask her?"

"It's your time to waste," Stephen said with a hand gesture.

Micki nodded with a slight grin before turning her attention back to Melanie and continuing with, "Melanie, we are unable to open the chest no matter how we try to open it, and I have a hunch that you can tell us how to open it."

"I will have to see the chest," Melanie replied.

"I expected that you would, and I'm okay with you coming back to the shop with me," Micki said.

"I'm not okay with her returning to your shop with you," Stephen said.

"Dad, I'm being invited back, so you don't have to hold me prisoner any longer," Melanie quickly said.

"Don't be melodramatic, Melanie," Stephen ordered.

"So you're okay with me freely leaving this house?" Melanie challenged.

"This is still an intervention, Melanie, and I'll let you and Becca out of the house when I'm certain that you two had come to your senses," Stephen replied.

"FYI, Stephen, my husband has been a prosecuting attorney for the past fifteen years, and I can tell you right now that keeping your daughter and sister from leaving the house just because they think that reality had changed somehow is illegal; even if you do mean well," Micki informed. "Your only legal course of action is to have them committed and then have them declared mentally incompetent."

"You can't do that, Stephen," April uttered. "I will never forgive you if you commit our daughter."

"And I will never forgive you if you attempt to commit me or your daughter," Becca added.

Stephen sighed before saying, "Fine. Go. But if you two get yourselves arrested, the police might insist on a seventy-two-hour psychiatric observation."

"Aunt Becca and I won't do anything to get ourselves arrested," Melanie quickly said. "Besides, Aunt Becca and I know when and how reality had changed."

"How it happened is still a bit iffy," Becca corrected.

"Would you two like to enlighten me?" Micki requested.

"You and your cousin inherited your uncle's antique shop thirty-eight years ago, correct?" Becca began.

"Thirty-seven years ago actually," Micki replied. "Thirty-eight years ago was when he went missing. The property was then tied up in probate for several months before Ryan and I were contacted about inheriting the store."

"Yes, well, in my reality, your uncle never disappeared and was brutally murdered thirty-three years ago," Becca replied. "So in this reality, you had inherited the store four years sooner than what you should have."

"Interesting," Micki replied in an appeasing tone. "Do you know why my uncle was murdered?"

"I have a hunch that it may have something to do with your uncle practicing sorcery," Becca replied.

"Now there's an accusation that I hadn't heard for nearly thirty years," Micki replied. "How do you know about it?"

"Thirty-eight years ago, my mom was ran down by a van and killed in front of your store after accusing your uncle of being a sorcerer," Becca replied. "And then six days later—in this reality—your uncle disappeared."

"I would really like to find out what is inside the chest, and I truly believe that Melanie can help me to get it open," Micki began. "Now will I regret it, Melanie, if you return to the store with me?"

"No," Melanie said. "This entire world, except for my Aunt Becca and me, is blind and I can't force you to see something when you're blind."

"Only you and Becca think that the world is blind, Melanie," Stephen said.

"Regardless, Stephen, what needed to be said was said," Becca replied. "It's now up to Micki to act on the information we provided her."

"Yes, well, don't worry," Micki replied. "I will definitely consider what was said here. Meanwhile, Melanie, if you are going to help us at the store, we need to get back there."

"I would like to go too," Becca requested. "And I promise to behave myself."

Micki considered Becca's request for a moment before saying, "Okay. If you're a psychic too like Melanie…" Micki stopped talking when Stephen snorted as if she had made a joke. "Or a very good guesser like Melanie, you might be able to figure out how to open the chest as well."

"Marcus and I will come too," Stephen said.

"We don't need any wardens, Stephen," Becca hissed. "Melanie and I will behave ourselves."

"Fine, go," Stephen replied unhappily. "I just hope I won't have to bail your asses out of jail later."

Becca shook her head before standing up and telling Melanie and Micki, "Let's go."

Melanie stood and followed Micki and Becca to the door.

At 'Dallion's Antiques' at 10:30 A.M., Ryan, Lloyd Junior and Lizzy were downstairs near the vault while Lloyd Junior was trying again to pick the lock on the chest.

Lewis was descending the stairs from the mid-level balcony and stopped in his tracks more than midway down the steps when the front door to the shop opened.

He then watched as Melanie, Becca and Micki respectively stepped through the door.

"Hi, I'm Micki McNulty," she told Lewis as soon as she saw him. "You must be the mystery person who Ryan wants me to meet."

Becca stared at Lewis as if she was trying to place him as he continued to descend the stairs.

Lewis was reaching the bottom of the steps as he said, "Yes, I'm…"

"Lewis Vendredi," Becca unpleasantly hissed.

"Becca, he can't be Lewis Vendredi," Micki replied. "This man's too young."

"Oh, he's Lewis Vendredi alright," Becca assured Micki. "How in hell are you here and looking as you did thirty-eight years ago?"

"I'm fairly certain, miss, that you and I have never met," Lewis began. "But you seem to know me and have formed a very strong opinion of me."

"Wait, are you telling me that you're my Uncle Lewis?" Micki quickly demanded.

"Yes, Micki, I'm your Uncle Lewis," he said before turning his focus back on Becca. Melanie stood on Becca's left side (the opposite side of Micki) and watched the exchanged with fixed focus. "Now who are you and how do you know me?"

"Your picture and the picture of 'Lewis Vendredi's Antiques' store were in the newspaper thirty-eight years ago, alongside my mom's picture—Annmarie Cahill," Becca replied.

"You're Annmarie's daughter," Lewis verbally took note of.

"I am, and I had read the article several times from start to finish, so I know the article by heart. And according to witnesses my mom had very strong opinions about you."

"Yes, I'm very aware of your mom's opinions and accusations," Lewis replied. "And it saddens me to say that your mom was superstitious and delusional."

"Says the man who disappeared thirty-eight years ago and reappeared while looking exactly the same from thirty-eight years ago," Becca said.

Lewis held up his hands and made sure that Becca saw his ring before saying, "I didn't simply vanished from history if that is what you think. I was in an accident that took my memories for most of those years."

As Becca acted slightly dizzy, she said, "You vanishing from history is exactly what I think, Mr. Vendredi." Becca attempted to shake off her dizziness before she continued to say, "My mom was right about you. You're a sorcerer. In fact, I can feel you using your magic now while attempting to get inside my head."

Melanie grabbed Becca and pulled her back behind her before hissing, "Stop whatever it is you're doing to my aunt."

"I'm not doing anything to your aunt," Lewis said while shifting his magical influence to Melanie.

Ryan and Lloyd Junior entered the room from the basement steps. Lizzy was at the chest while feeling the engraved magical symbols. The light in the basement was from the lantern that was setting on top of the chest.

Melanie winced slightly from what Lewis was doing to her before recovering and uttering, "Your sorcery doesn't work on me, Mr. Vendredi. So go back where you belong. You don't belong here. You belong in the past, so use your magic and go back there."

"Okay, now that's quite enough, Melanie," Ryan uttered as he rushed to put himself between Lewis and Melanie.

"Ryan, stop!" Micki demanded. "Uncle Lewis is a sorcerer and I don't know why he's here, but I want him gone,"

"Do you hear yourself, Micki?" Ryan questioned.

"Look at him, Ryan!" Micki again demanded. "And I mean take a very good look at him."

"Okay," Ryan said in a confused tone as he stared at Lewis. "What am I supposed to see?"

"Uncle Lewis is supposed to be ninety years old, but he looks to be in his mid-fifties," Micki pointed out.

"I aged gracefully," Lewis said while attempting to convince Micki.

"You might have convinced other people of that, but I was told of your sorcery thirty-seven-years ago," Micki replied. "I dismissed it then, but I'm not dismissing it now."

"And how was I supposed to have vanished from time thirty-eight years ago and reappeared last night?" Lewis challenged.

Melanie moved towards the mirror unseen by Lewis as Micki shook her head.

"I wish I knew, but I don't," Micki finally said after a long hesitation.

Melanie—with goosebumps breaking out across her arms and legs as they did earlier— stepped up to the mirror and placed her left hand on its glass. Almost immediately she was given a vision of Lewis selling a copy of 'Moby Dick'. In the vision the book was crackling everywhere with red static electricity that Melanie associated with negative energy.

Other random tidbit of information came to her as well that didn't make sense, and as Melanie was given a vision of Lewis stepping out from the mirror, Lewis saw her touching it.

"Don't break that, young lady," Lewis demanded, which pulled Melanie from the series of random visions. "That mirror is expensive."

Melanie heard Lewis's every word, and while facing him she replied, "This is how you got here. You stepped out of this mirror."

"Young lady, this is real life and not a horror show," Lewis replied.

Micki saw Lizzy stepping into the room from the basement stairs as Melanie replied, "I so wish that was true, but when I look at you, I see a soul sucking demon."

"Melanie," Ryan uttered disapprovingly.

As Lewis verbally defended himself as well, Micki rushed to Lizzy's side while demanding for her to return to the basement.

"What's going on, Grandma?" Lizzy quickly questioned.

"Your Daddy, Ryan and two women are having an adult discussion with Uncle Lewis that you don't need to see or hear, sweetie," Micki told her before watching Lizzy returning to the stairs.

"Cast your magic again and return to thirty-eight years ago," Melanie demanded as she stood with her left hand on the mirror. "I know you can do it, and you don't belong here."

"Take your hand off that mirror before you knock it over," Lewis demanded while not attempting to get any closer.

"I'm not going to…" Melanie stopped talking when a sudden thought occurred to her. She then challenged, "Come over here and take my hand off the mirror, old man?"

"Will everyone please hold up, take a breath and think logically," Ryan pleaded. "Melanie, what is your obsession with that mirror?"

"This mirror is how your uncle got here, and it will be what sends him back," Melanie informed.

"That's absurd," Lewis uttered.

"Then prove me wrong, Uncle Lewis," Melanie replied in a mocked politeness. She then ran her hand over the glass of the mirror. "Come over here and place your hands on the mirror as I am doing now, "

When Lewis stepped back half of a step, as if he was regaining his sudden loss of balance, Micki turned and followed Lizzy down the steps.

"Melanie, if that mirror was a magical portal from-and-to the past, then you would be going into the past right now," Lloyd Junior pointed out.

"No I wouldn't," Melanie said in a certain tone. "The magic that Uncle Lewis had used only allows him to use the mirror to move back and forth."

"Again, that's absurd, young lady," Lewis replied.

"And there is a simple way for you to prove it to me, Uncle Lewis," Melanie said.

Ryan, Lloyd Junior and Becca each saw the troubled expression on Lewis's face as he replied, "I'm not going to humor you."

"How about humoring me, Uncle Lewis?" Ryan requested.

"Ryan, surely you're not listening to this delusional young woman," Lewis said.

"You seemed determined to keep your distance from that mirror, Uncle Lewis," Ryan replied.

"I'm just not humoring her," Lewis replied.

"And again, how about humoring me?" Ryan repeated.

"No," Lewis flat out said before continuing his objections.

Downstairs, Micki handed Lizzy the lantern from off of the chest and ushered her into the vault.

"But why, Grandma, do you want me to go inside?" Lizzy asked as she entered.

"Lizzy, this is a safe room and I would feel a lot better if you were inside," Micki replied. "And I promise you that you won't have to be inside for very long. Okay?"

"Okay, Grandma," Lizzy replied.

"I'll be back to let you out soon, sweetie. I promise," Micki replied before shutting the vault doors.

Micki then turned and hurried to the stairs.

Upstairs, Melanie, Ryan, Lloyd Junior and Becca took hold of Lewis and dragged him to the mirror and shoved him into it.

Lewis fell faced first onto the floor of his shop at 10:45 A.M., (fifteen and a half hours after he had originally entered the mirror to travel exactly thirty-eight years into the future), and when he saw the mirror falling towards him he rolled quickly to get out of its way.

The mirror hit the floor and broke into several large and small pieces.

Lewis then rolled into a sitting position and looked around his shop. The lights in the shop were off, but there was enough sunlight being filtered in for him to see by.

After seeing that he was back in his own time and shop, he sighed and stood up. Once he was on his feet, the mirror pieces caught his attention when they began to wiggle. As he stared at the mirror pieces, the pieces began to slowly move and reassemble itself as if it was a puzzle being put together by an invisible person.

"Is that you, Master?" Lewis rhetorically questioned as the pieces reassembled themselves at a quicker pace. "I wasted my time by going into the future. So putting the mirror back together is a waste of time as well."

The devil—while again taking Lewis's likeness—emerged from a large piece of a reassembled section.

As Lewis bowed in respect to his master, the devil said, "Yes, your actions were in vain, but your actions had also became a fix point in time, which means that the mirror must now exist in the future. Your actions had also pointed out a flaw in our plans."

"Flaw?" Lewis echoed in a confused tone. "What flaw?"

"Psychics will not be fooled by you or by the antiques that you sell," the devil began. "And like the two you encountered in the future, you could encounter more that would gather your antiques and destroy them." The devil made a hand gesture and a localized roaring fire erupted in the center of the floor. The flame burned strong for several seconds before dying down, and as the flame died out completely, it left behind five pages to an incantation that was written on animal hide. "Behold the incantation that you will now use when you imprecate your antiques, and after casting your magic, the antiques will not be able to be destroyed."

"Yes, master," Lewis said while bending down and grabbing the pages. There was then a loud click of the front door lock as it was being unlocked and Lewis turned to look. "Carl?"

Before the door could open, the reassembling of the mirror finished with no visible cracks or seams. The mirror then stood upright as it was before it fell.

The mirror being stood upright by itself had caught Lewis's attention, and when he looked he saw that the devil had vanished.

Once the door opened and Carl stepped through the doorway, Carl stopped in his tracks when he saw Lewis.

"Oh, Lewis, you're here," Carl verbally took note of.

"Of course I'm here," Lewis replied as if Carl's observation was a stupid one.

"Then why did you come to my house last night and tell me that you wouldn't be here today?" Carl asked. "You then hired me to come here and seal off a mirror behind a wall?"

"Yes, I did do that," Lewis said as if the facts had dawned on him. He glanced at the mirror before he continued to say, "After leaving your house last night, my plans fell through."

"So you no longer want me to seal off the mirror behind a wall?" Carl asked.

"I still need you to seal off the mirror, Carl," Lewis assured him.

Carl nodded before asking, "After I'm done with the wall, do you still want me to bless it with the prayer that you handed me."

Lewis shot him a curious look before saying, "Everything I told you to do last night, I still want you to do. You can even pretend that I'm not here and you never saw me. In fact, I'll go upstairs and leave you to your work."

"Okay," Carl replied. "I'll holler for you when I'm through."

Lewis nodded before turning to the stairs and walking towards it.

Fifteen and a half hours shy of being exactly thirty-eight years into the future, Melanie—while taking a shower—recovered from a dizzy spell that left her with memories of fifteen and a half hours of an alternate future.

Melanie went from taking a casual shower to taking a quick shower. She dried off as quickly as she could and ran a comb through her long wet hair.

She rushed to get dressed in the clothes that she brought into the bathroom with her, which were her bra, her panties, her denim shorts, her Miranda Lambert T-shirt and her watch.

After Melanie left the bathroom and entered her bedroom for her pink tennis shoes, she stopped in her tracks for a second, and then altered her direction to pick up her smart phone that was lying on her desk.

As she reached for her phone, her phone began to ring. Without glancing at the screen, she clicked on the speaker function of her phone and said, "Aunt Becca."

"Did you experience anything odd moments ago?" Becca asked as Melanie laid her phone down on the bed.

"If you're asking me if we really did force Lewis Vendredi back into the mirror, then yes," Melanie said as she grabbed her tennis shoes.

"Melanie, that mirror must be at the antique store," Becca replied as Melanie went to put on one of her shoes. "You have to get down there and convince Ryan or Micki to destroy that mirror."

"It's Micki who owns the store and I'm going there as soon as I get my shoes on," Melanie said as she grabbed her second shoe. "Damn the luck that the garage had gotten broken into last week and our bikes were stolen."

"Melanie, you really should watch your language," Becca said.

"Yes, I know it's not lady like, Aunt Becca," Melanie said as she finished tying her shoe. "Anyway, I'm all set to go. I have to run; literally."

"Bye," Becca replied.

"Bye," Melanie replied before grabbing her phone from the bed, dropping it into her purse and dashing out of her room with her purse.


	5. The Road Not Traveled Part 4

**The Road Not Traveled Part 4**

At 8:00 P.M., while sitting at Micki's kitchen table, Melanie finished her story with, "I ran as fast as I could from my house to here. Sorry that I couldn't tell you why or how Lizzy had crossed over into our reality."

"I don't get visions like you do, Melanie, but sometimes I do get strong intuitions about things," Micki replied. "So I'm certain that I had an intuition about putting Lizzy into the vault."

"The vault?" Melanie questioned.

Micki grinned, and as she stood up she said, "Come with me. I would like to show you something."

"Okay," Melanie said while standing.

Micki led Melanie to the first floor. As Micki was approaching the stairs to the basement, Melanie—with goosebumps broke out across her arms and legs, along with having her hairs stand on end—stopped in her tracks.

When Micki looked back and saw that Melanie was no longer following, Melanie said, "The evil that I feel when I walk by your store, Micki, is much stronger in the direction you are taking me."

"The direction I'm taking you is also where all those cursed antiques are kept. So it makes sense that the evil that you feel is getting stronger." When a slightly disturbed expression came across Melanie's face, Micki continued to say, "Don't worry though; they are safely stored behind thick steel doors, and those doors are kept locked at all times. I promise that it is safe to go into the basement, and I would like to show you something downstairs."

Melanie hesitated for a brief moment before nodding and saying, "Okay. I'll follow you to the basement."

Micki nodded with a slight grin before turning towards the stairs and descending the steps.

Melanie remained vigilant as she followed Micki down the stairs and to the mostly smashed out brick wall that once hid the vault.

Once Melanie saw the wall, she said, "Oh my god. It wasn't a safe that I had a vision of; it was of this. When did you find this?"

"We didn't discover the vault," Micki began. "The wall was already like this when Ryan and I inherited the store. We had assumed that Uncle Lewis had hidden something away and then at a later date, either changed his mind about the object needing to be hidden away or he had needed the object. Since you had told me that in the other reality, Ryan and I had found a chest, I now think that Uncle Lewis had hidden that chest away so he could retrieve it when he got to… well to our present."

"And since he needed what was in the chest, the chest didn't need to stay hidden once he returned to the past," Melanie replied before daringly taking cautious steps towards the vault.

"I believe so," Micki said.

"In the other reality, Ryan managed this store and not you. So why isn't he managing this store in this reality?"

"Besides cursed antiques, we had encountered devil worshippers and demonic beings," Micki began. Melanie stopped walking near the vault doors and faced Micki. "One of the devil worshipers we encountered was in France, and he was focused on fulfilling an old prophecy—the prophecy that Satan was to rise, but in the body of a child.

"Jack had originally gone to France alone for an entirely different reason and stumbled upon what was happening there. Ryan and I were then called to France to help, but before we could get there, Jack ended up in a coma during his initial encounter with the devil worshipper.

"Once Ryan and I had arrived and learned what was happening, we did what we could to stop the prophecy from being fulfilled, and one of the things that Ryan did was putting himself between the devil worshipper's knife and a twelve-year-old girl who he was sacrificing to Satan…"

"So Ryan is dead?" Melanie quickly questioned as if she was trying to make sense of something.

"I do believe that Ryan did die for a brief moment, but he didn't remain dead," Micki replied. "However, while he was dead for that brief moment, his body reverted back to when he was eleven years old, and when he woke, he was possessed by Satan. The twelve-year-old girl was a psychic—in fact, her being a psychic was one of the reasons that the devil worshipper had chosen her… I believe anyway. Anyway, by her being a psychic, she knew what to do to cast out Satan, and when we did, Ryan remained as an eleven-year-old boy with no memories beyond the age that he was."

"How old was he before that?" Melanie asked.

"He was twenty-seven," Micki replied.

Melanie rapidly did the math in her head before saying, "So he physically regressed in age by sixteen years, along with losing sixteen years of his memories."

"Correct," Micki replied.

"Did he ever learn the truth of what had happened?" Melanie asked.

"Jack and I agreed not to tell him, and currently, he's forty-two and happily married with three kids."

"That's good," Melanie said before glancing at the vault doors and gesturing towards them. "Anyway, are all of the cursed items behind these doors? And I'm only asking because where I am standing, I'm sensing evil all around me."

"There are actually two vaults," Micki informed before gesturing appropriately. "That one, of course, and there's a make-shift vault below us as well. The one below us was discovered soon after Ryan reverted to an eleven-year-old boy, and it was originally used for sacrificing rituals and summoning hell-spawns; but don't worry, the vault below us was christened. So what evil there is below us is forever trapped there."

"And I really hope you are right," Melanie said earnestly.

Micki grinned before saying, "Nothing has made it out in thirty years, so it does look promising that nothing will make it out. Anyway, are you ready to go upstairs?"

"Actually, if you don't mind, I would like to touch the door to this vault," Melanie replied.

"I don't mind, but I am surprise that you want to," Micki said.

"To tell the truth, I don't want to, but there's an inner voice inside my head that I learned to trust, and it's telling me that I need to do this."

"Okay, sure," Micki replied while gesturing towards the vault. "Go ahead."

Melanie placed her left hand on one of the vault doors and was given random visions of the cursed antiques, and a vision of Lewis's death. Melanie was also shown that there were invisible writing and symbols on the vault's outside walls.

After about a minute, Melanie's visions stopped and she backed up.

"Wow," Melanie let out while facing Micki. "Those antiques are a force not to be messed with."

"That's for damn sure," Micki agreed wholeheartedly. "Anyway, what all did you see?'

"I saw how your uncle died," Melanie shared. "I also saw something that you might not be aware of."

"What's that?" Micki asked.

"There are invisible writings and symbols on most of the outside of the vault," Melanie informed, which brought an amused grin across Micki's face. "Or perhaps you do know about it."

"Jack and I discovered the writing about five years after I inherited the store. There's actually an invisible Latin phrase written above the door that reads, 'The present is shaped by past actions, but inside these doors, past actions has no influence.' The writings and symbols are written in blood too. So if we had one of those police lights that make unseen bodily fluids visible, we could see it. Anyway, we should go upstairs now."

"Okay," Melanie said before she and Micki headed for the stairs. As they ascended the stairs, Melanie asked, "Does Lizzy know that she's not from this reality?"

"No, and I know I have to tell her, but I'm not sure how to do it," Micki replied.

"I probably shouldn't be here when you tell her," Melanie said. "She's already scared of me and my presence could make her more anxious."

"I'll worry about how I will tell her once Jason and Lizzy return," Micki replied as she and Melanie were reaching the first floor. Before anything else was said, a series of knocks struck the front door. "This evening has certainly been a busy one."

Melanie followed Micki towards the door, and once they were in seeing distance to the front glass door, they saw a forty-five-year-old man who stood 5' 11" and a twenty-year-old woman who stood 5' 7". The woman appeared slightly shell-shocked.

Micki continued to the door and without opening it, she called out, "We're closed. You two will have to come back tomorrow."

"Michelle Foster," the man uttered through the doorway. Micki shot the man a curious look as he continued to say, "It's very important that we talk with you."

Micki took a breath and opened the front door. Once the door was open, Micki asked, "How is it that you know my given name when I don't go by it?"

The man snapped his fingers before saying, "That's right; I forgot. You go by Micki. In case you don't remember me, Micki, I'm Everett Clancy and the woman with me is Samantha Wolfe."

Even though Samantha was slightly shell-shocked, she managed to give Micki a nod with a polite grin.

"Okay," Micki began in a curious tone. "What can I do for you two?"

"What we're here for should be discussed behind closed doors," Everett replied.

"And my front door should be closed and locked at the moment, but it's not," Micki replied. "Nor are you two getting inside my shop without me knowing why you two are here."

Everett pursed his lips before saying, "Over twenty-five years ago, you refused to sell me an antique Native-American ceremonial headdress."

Micki examined Everett's face for a brief moment before saying, "Yes. Now I remember you. You, your brother and your father came in claiming that you two wanted to return the headdress to its proper owner. If you came back after twenty-five years to try again to buy the headdress, then you had wasted your time, Mr. Chancy. As it was twenty-five years ago, the headdress isn't for sale."

"I'm not here for the headdress. In fact, the only reason why my family and I even wanted the headdress was to box it up, along with a few other hell-born novelties and plunge them into the deepest depths of the ocean. But once we learn what you had exactly done with the headdress, we felt satisfied of its location." When Micki gave Everett a curious look, Everett continued to say, "My family and I had the same mission that you, Jack and Johnny had. Although for some reason, you were only after certain novelties, which was actually okay with us. Since you were only after selected novelties, we didn't interfere with one another."

"I now agree that we need to discuss this inside," Micki said while backing up and giving them room to step in. "Come in."

"Thank you," Everett replied before guiding Samantha into the shop.

"Samantha, sweetie, are you okay?" Micki asked as the door closed behind Everett and Samantha.

Everett glanced towards Melanie as Melanie stepped closer.

As Everett turned back towards Micki to answer, Samantha—with no regards to Melanie's presence—replied, "No; I'm not okay. Brant and Adam were sucked into an old Nintendo video game and when they came out again, Brant was dead. Adam then took the game system and ran off with it."

"You're familiar with this cursed game system, Everett," Melanie made a point to say.

"Everett, this is Melanie and she knows about cursed items," Micki replied.

Everett nodded before saying, "To answer your question, Melanie, yes, I'm familiar with it…"

"I was making a statement; not asking a question," Melanie clarified. "I strongly felt that you were familiar with the game system."

"Melanie is a psychic; although I don't know what all her abilities encompass. In fact, I don't think she really knows either," Micki shared. Melanie shrugged with a grin. "Anyway, Everett, what do you know about the game system?"

"The game system's curse pulls two players into the system to play a game to the death. The game's winner gains heighten dexterity for eight hours, which is excellent for an eight-hour round of a video game tournament."

"You had your hands on that game system once before," Melanie began. "I can't sense though how you lost it."

"We didn't actually lose it," Everett replied. "The game system was among two hundred and eighty-five cursed objects that my family and I plunged into the ocean."

"Oh God," Micki uttered. "Since the game system had made its way back into the world, am I right to assume that the other two hundred and eighty-four cursed objects had as well?"

"Two hundred and fifty of the items are," Everett humbly replied. "My family and I were able to get back thirty-four of the objects before they made their way back out into the world."

"Out of curiosity, how did these cursed objects get back out into the world?" Melanie asked.

Everett took a breath before saying, "I suspect that the ocean currents dragged the container that we had the objects in to shallow waters, and once the container was in shallow waters, maritime salvage found it and dispersed its contents."

"Finding Adam and recovering the game system are our first priority," Micki informed.

"My dad and my brother and my sister are handling that as we speak," Everett began. "I'm here to find out how you are keeping the cursed objects that you had collected from getting back out into the world."

"They are safely stored somewhere," Micki replied. "And I won't tell you where they are stored until I get to know you a lot better."

Everett nodded in an understanding manner before saying, "Thirty years ago, we stored the cursed objects somewhere too, but no matter where we stored them, thieves would always break in and steal the objects. That's why we decided to plunge them deep into the ocean. How are you able to keep thieves from breaking in?"

"Most likely thieves were always breaking into your storage areas because cursed objects can psychically call out to nearby people," Micki began. "Our storage containers are spelled with white magic that prevents that."

"In thirty years, it had never dawned on me that the cursed objects were psychically calling out to people," Everett shared.

"It would have never dawned on me either," Micki replied. "Jack was the knowledgeable one in our group when it came to sorcery and how to handle cursed antiques."

"Is Jack available to teach me the magical spell that prevents the cursed objects in psychically calling out to people?" Everett asked.

"His health isn't all that great these days," Micki began. "However, he's well connected in several mystical circles. So even if Jack can't personally help you, he might be able to point you to someone who can."

"Where can I find Jack?" Everett asked.

"Phone," Melanie uttered while gesturing in the direction to the store phone.

"What?" Micki questioned as the phone began to ring.

Melanie grinned before repeating, "Phone."

"Excuse me for a second, Everett," Micki requested.

"Of course," Everett said before Micki walked deeper into the store from near the front door.

As Micki was picking up the phone on the fourth ring, Melanie, Everett and Samantha turned towards the front door when the door latched turned to unlock.

When Melanie saw who were coming in, she told Everett, "They're Jason and Lizzy, and Jason knows about cursed objects."

Jason cautiously opened the door, and as he slowly entered before Lizzy, he asked, "Is everything okay here?"

"Yeah, everything is…" Melanie abruptly stopped talking when she saw that Lizzy had been crying. "Lizzy, what's wrong?"

"I want my grandma," Lizzy demanded.

"She's over there on the phone," Melanie said while gesturing.

As Lizzy ran towards Micki, Melanie asked Jason, "What's going on with Lizzy?"

"I'm very certain that Lizzy ran into her mother, and of course her mother didn't know who Lizzy was," Jason replied.

Melanie cringed before saying, "Oh God."

"I tried to convince Lizzy that the woman only looked like her mother, but she wasn't buying it," Jason said. "I had to pick Lizzy up and carry her away."

"Did Lizzy's mom abandon her?" Everett asked.

"The simple answer is 'no'; Lizzy was never abandon," Melanie replied.

"And the not so simple answer?" Everett prompted Melanie to say.

"Too long of a story to answer right now," Melanie replied.

"Okay," Everett said. "I know that a lot of those long stories have something to do with cursed objects."

"You know about cursed objects?" Jason asked Everett.

"I do," Everett replied before filling Jason in on why he and Samantha were there.

Minutes later, Micki and Lizzy returned to the group. Micki had her hand on Lizzy's shoulder to comfort her.

"That was Jack," Micki replied. "Another psychic contacted him about having a strong sense of this evening repeating, and he wanted to make sure that the golden hourglass was still safely stored, which it is."

"You know, for most people, this evening is repeating," Melanie replied. "The differences between the two realities are most likely localized to this city."

"Wait! This evening is repeating?" Everett quickly asked.

"Reality had been altered and then altered back again, and the fifteen and a half future hours we spent in the alternate reality had been erased," Melanie replied.

"What?" Everett asked.

"Everett, I'm going over to meet Jack and explain to him what had happened," Micki replied. "Would you like to go with me to meet Jack and I will explain to you of what had happened on the way?"

"I would," Everett quickly said.

Micki nodded before looking down and telling Lizzy, "Sweetie, I need to go and visit my friend Jack for a few minutes…"

"I want to go with you, Grandma," Lizzy quickly said.

"Sweetie, you don't need to hear what Jack, Everett and I will be discussing," Micki pointed out.

"I want to go too," Lizzy slightly whined.

"I know you do, sweetie, but you can't come with me this time, and I promise not to be gone too long," Micki replied.

When a disappointed expression came across Lizzy's face, Jason told Lizzy, "There are all kinds of games upstairs that we can play. We'll have so much fun that you won't even miss Grandma."

"What kind of games?" Lizzy asked.

"Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Clue, Checkers…" Jason was only able to get out.

"Lizzy, sweetie, you should go upstairs and see for yourself," Micki quickly told her.

Lizzy slightly hesitated before saying, "Okay."

"I guess I should get going," Melanie said before Jason and Lizzy could walk away.

"Melanie, before you go, would it be possible to get your phone number?" Micki requested. "Your psychic ability would be a great help to me, and I would pay you for your consultant."

Melanie pleasantly grinned before saying, "Sure. I'll give you my number. But I definitely don't want any pay for helping you while I'm using my ability."

"You don't want to be compensated for your service?" Micki questioned.

"I help people when I can with my ability because it's the right thing to do, and if I start expecting pay for helping people, my moral compass might drift to where I don't want it to drift. So any psychic services I can offer will always be free."

"Okay," Micki replied.

"Do you have scrap paper and a pen, Micki?" Melanie asked. "So I can give you my number?"

"There are paper and pens at my desk," Micki told Melanie as she pointed to the desk that was on the first floor, next to the stairs. Behind the desk and chair was a banister and on the others side of the banister were shelves that held nick-knacks items. She then glanced at Everett. "My purse is over there as well. Once I get my purse, Everett, I'll be ready to leave."

"Okay," Everett said.

As Micki led Melanie to her desk, Jason asked, "Melanie, do you have a job?"

"No, but during the last few days, I had filled out online job applications to several fast food restaurants in the area," Melanie replied. "Do you know of a place that's hiring?"

"I do," Jason replied. "Micki's looking to hire extra help."

"I only said that I was just thinking about hiring part time help, Jason," Micki strongly clarified.

"With Lizzy in your life and those objects that are now among unsuspecting people, I have a hunch that you will need the extra help—and the type of help who can fully respect the objects," Jason retorted. Melanie stared curiously at Jason as Jason continued to say, "Of course I'm no psychic, so…"

"Okay, okay," Micki replied as she retrieved the notepad and pen from her desk. "Message heard and understood. Melanie, it is unclear at the moment on how often that I'll need the extra help here, but Jason is right. I will need part time help and I would like to offer you the job."

"When school starts up again in August, I will only be able to work after school and on the weekends," Melanie pointed out.

Micki amusingly grinned before saying, "Yes, child. In spite of your tallness, I'm fully aware that you're still a teenager in high school. And when school starts up again, I will work around your schedule. So how about it? Will you accept my job offer?"

Melanie pleasantly grinned before saying, "I will."

Micki pleasantly grinned before handing Melanie the notepad and pen and saying, "Give me your number and you can come back tomorrow to fill out employment forms."

"Okay," Melanie said before taking the pen in her left hand.

As Melanie wrote out her name, her landline number and her cellphone number, Jason commented, "You're a southpaw. Micki's a southpaw too."

Melanie stopped writing and glanced at her writing hand before saying, "Actually, I'm ambidextrous, and there's always a left-handed person in the room with me when I automatically use my left hand for things."

"So you normally use your right hand?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but I believe that the only reason I favor my right hand over my left when I'm by myself is because everyone in my family is right-handed, and I became overly accustom at using my right hand before I met a left-handed person. Oh, and I can switch at will, and my left-handed and right-handed hand-writings are not far different from one another."

As Melanie continued to write out her phone number with her left hand, Jason replied. "That's interesting."

Melanie slightly grinned before saying, "Andi—my best friend—said the same thing when she learned that about me too. I think I was nine at the time." She then held out the paper and pen for Micki to take. "Anyway, here's my landline number and cellphone number."

As Micki took the items, she said, "Excellent. I'll see you sometime tomorrow."

Melanie nodded while saying, "You will. Bye."

"Bye," Micki replied.

"Bye," Jason replied.

Melanie gave Jason a grin and a nod before facing Lizzy and saying, "Goodnight, Lizzy."

Lizzy stared skeptically at Melanie while weakly echoing, "Goodnight."

Melanie turned towards the exit and walked away. As she walked by Everett and Samantha, she exchanged 'Goodbyes' with them.

Micki grabbed her purse, and as Micki, Everett and Samantha followed Melanie out of the store, Jason and Lizzy went upstairs to play a board game.

Outside, Micki pointed to her Chevy Cruze and told Everett and Samantha, "My car is right there, and if you don't mine, I would like to use my car."

Everett gestured towards a Toyota and said, "My car's right there, and to keep from needing to come back here later, Samantha and I will follow you."

"I was going to tell you about the reality being altered during our drive to Jack's home," Micki informed.

"You're planning on telling Jack about it, so I'll hear about it then," Everett pointed out.

"Okay," Micki replied.

"However, Micki, before we go to our respective cars, tell me something," Everett said.

"I'll try," Micki replied. "What is it?"

"Why did you and your group only go after certain items?" Everett asked.

"The items that we went after were the items that my uncle had personally cursed and sold when he had owned the antique store over thirty-three years ago," Micki informed.

"Oh," Everett let out as if all the facts had fell in place. "You never knew about the items that weren't cursed by your uncle."

"I didn't," Micki replied. "Not until tonight." Micki gestured towards her car. "Anyway, let's go."

Everett nodded before he, Micki and Samantha moved towards their respective cars.


	6. A New Beginning Part 1

**A New Beginning Part 1**

Thursday morning, around 9:05 A.M., Melanie opened the door to 'Curious Goods' antique store and stepped in.

April (Melanie's mom) followed Melanie into the shop by a couple of steps.

Melanie wore a blue sleeveless pullover shirt that had white stars and white stripes, denim shorts, her pink tennis shoes and her watch. The long strap of her denim purse crossed her back and chest from her left shoulder as her purse hung near her right hip.

April wore a half-sleeve flowery pullover shirt, denim shorts, flat sandals and her jewelry (her rings, her earrings, a necklace and a watch). The short strap of her purse was looped over her left shoulder with the purse tucked in beneath her left arm.

"Good morning, April; good morning, Melanie," Micki greeted.

Micki wore a red and blue paisley-print blouse, blue slacks and flat black shoes. The jewelry she had on was a watch and a pair of earrings.

"Good morning, Micki," April replied.

"Good morning," Melanie replied.

"Micki, my daughter tells me that you hired her to work for you," April continued as she and Melanie walked up to Micki.

"That is correct," Micki replied.

"I told you," Melanie told her mom. She then turned towards Micki. "She had to hear it from you before she believed me."

Micki slightly grinned as April pointed out, "Until last night, you had avoided this shop as if your life had depended on you not stepping within a hundred feet of this place, and now all of a sudden, not only are you no longer avoiding this shop, but you had been hired to work here."

"Given that your daughter is a psychic, April, it's understandable as to why Melanie had avoided my shop for all these years," Micki replied.

"In what way is it understandable, and where in the world did you get the idea that my daughter is a psychic?" April asked.

"My mom and dad just think that I'm a lucky guesser," Melanie shared as her stare fell to the door at the top of the stairs and to the left of the mid-level balcony.

Micki and April looked and watched as Lizzy opened the door and stepped out onto the mid-level balcony.

"Grandma, I put my empty bowl in the sink like you told me, but I think something got broken after I let go of my bowl," Lizzy said.

"I wouldn't know what would have gotten broken," Micki replied as she tried to remember what all was in the sink. "I'll be up soon to check. Meanwhile, color in the coloring book."

"Can I watch TV?" Lizzy asked.

"Sweetie, I don't want you watching TV until I figure out the parental controls," Micki replied. "So for now, color in your book."

"Fine," Lizzy unenthusiastically said before turning and disappearing behind the door.

"You have a lovely Granddaughter, Micki," April told her.

"Thanks," Micki replied with a pleasant grin.

"Strange," April continued in a slightly baffled tone. "You had never mentioned that you had kids, so I was under the impression that you had no kids."

"I wasn't really trying to keep that part of my life a secret. I guess the subject never came up." Without giving April a chance to respond, Micki continued to say, "Anyway, getting back as to why your daughter wouldn't come in here. Your daughter felt evil in this shop, and I would love to deny it, but I can't. There is evil here."

"I don't understand," April replied. "What in here is evil?"

"Some of the antiques that come through here have been owned by sinister people," Micki began. "And preowned items could hold strong psychic impressions of their original owners and what Melanie is sensing is the residual evil of their previous owners. Also Melanie is not the first psychic to sense it."

"Micki, I'm a person of science," April replied. "I don't believe in psychics, ghosts or the supernatural."

"Mom, just because you believe in something… or don't believe in something doesn't make your belief the correct belief," Melanie quickly said.

"It doesn't make my belief wrong either," April replied.

"April, I'm not looking to change your belief…" Micki was only able to get out.

"I am," Melanie quickly said. "Mom, I have been avoiding calling myself a psychic because of your and dad's beliefs, but I am a psychic."

"Sweetie, why do you believe that you're a psychic?" April asked.

"Mom, when I meet someone for the first time, visions or knowledge will sometimes pop into my head about the person and most of the time, everything that pops in my head about a person is proven right at some point down the line. Also I get dreams of people I haven't met and places I never been to."

"Okay, well, most likely you heard of the person before you met him or her, or saw the individual somewhere, and your subconscious builds around that without you realizing that's what you are doing," April replied.

"I know how Uncle Russell died," Melanie quickly said.

"Of course you do," April replied. "Your dad and I told you and your brothers how he died the day after it happened."

"I'm not talking about the lie that you and Dad told us," Melanie quickly said.

"Excuse me," April demanded.

"Uncle Russell did not accidently overdose on his pain killers and you know it," Melanie replied. "You and Dad found a poorly scribbled suicide note next to his body."

"Who told you that?" April demanded to know.

"No one told me, Mom," Melanie replied. "I saw it in a vision while you and Dad were telling Billy, Nathen and me the lie. And it's not the first time you lied to Billy, Nathen and me either. I saw what really happened to our cat Snow Ball while you were telling us that she had run off."

"Enlighten me, Melanie," April quickly challenged. "What happened to Snow Ball?"

"She did get out through a rip in the screen as you said, but she didn't run off," Melanie began. "You found her dead in the garage after she got into something poisonous."

April pursed her lips before accusing, "You overheard your dad and me talking."

Melanie rolled her eyes before saying, "I never heard you and Dad talking, Mom. I saw the truth when you were telling me the lie. Oh, and I also know about that sleaze ball doctor at the hospital that was sexually harassing you."

"I'm not being sexually harassed at the hospital, young lady," April quickly defended.

"I saw a vision of him harassing you, Mom," Melanie countered. "He's two or three inches shorter than you. He has salt and pepper hair and he slightly reminded me of Kevin Bacon."

Recognition came quickly across April's face just before grinning and saying, "Sweetie, you didn't see anyone sexually harassing me."

"I'll trust my vision over your word, Mom," Melanie quickly said while taking a stand. "And I had this vision before last Thanksgiving."

April thought for a second before nodding and saying, "Sweetie, last November, Dr. Warner and I created a sexual harassment awareness video together."

"So you weren't sexual harassed by a doctor?" Melanie quickly asked.

"No, sweetie, it was just an act for the video," April said.

"Oh," Melanie uttered.

"And for your information, my lovely daughter, the times I lied to you were to spare you from the pain of the truth."

"You didn't though," Melanie replied. "I saw what the truth was each time you told me a lie."

April pursed her lips before saying, "My intentions were good, Melanie, each time I had lied to you."

"I know, Mom," Melanie replied. "And I'm a big girl. I can handle the truth."

"Okay, Melanie," April replied, sincerely. "For now on, I will tell you the truth."

"Thank you," Melanie replied.

"Anyway, you came in to fill out employment forms, and so I won't be in the way, I'll go back home," April told Melanie.

"You're not in the way," Melanie replied. "You're not going to bug me if you want to shop here when I'm here."

April pleasantly grinned before saying, "That's good to hear, but I didn't come here to buy anything. In fact, I was in here last Tuesday, and everything looks to be the same as it was then."

"It is; although that could change before we close today," Micki said. "In fact, Jason is out and is looking at potential curios that we can sell as we speak."

"Oh, that reminds me, Micki," April quickly said. "Make sure that Jason is aware that my daughter is only sixteen years old."

"Mom," Melanie replied in an embarrassing tone.

"Your height makes you look older, sweetie, and I want to make sure that Jason knows that you're not quite an adult yet," April explained.

"Jason is fully aware of your daughter's age, April," Micki assured her.

"Good," April replied. "And in four years from now if Jason would…"

"Mom, I was wrong," Melanie quickly said while interrupting April. "You being here is bugging me."

"Okay, okay," April said in an amused grin. "I'm going."

"Thank you," Melanie said in an appreciative tone.

April held her grin as she gave Melanie a quick hug.

"Bye," April said after the hug and walked away.

"Bye," Melanie and Micki told her.

"I have the forms I want you to fill out on the desk," Micki told Melanie as she pointed to the desk that was on the first floor. "And if you need help filling them out, let me know."

"Okay," Melanie replied as she moved towards the desk.

Melanie set her purse down on the desk, and as she was sitting down in the chair, April was leaving the shop.

"So did Everett learn what to do to keep the cursed items from making their way back into the world?" Melanie asked.

"I believe so," Micki replied. "Jack pointed him to a friend of his to help him out. Until then though, Everett and his family will be bringing the items that they have collected here to be stored in the vault sometime today."

"Cool," Melanie replied. "Were they able to retrieve that old Nintendo game system?"

"I haven't heard if they did or didn't," Micki replied.

"I actually had a dream last night about them that they did, but sometimes my dreams are just dreams and I was asking to find out if my dream was just a dream or was I psychically seeing them."

"I can't answer that," Micki said before pointing to the forms that were on the desk. "Anyway, fill out the forms and I'm going to check on Lizzy, and if someone comes in, let the person know that I will be back in a moment."

"Okay," Melanie replied as she picked up the pen with her left hand.

As Melanie went to fill out the forms while using her left hand, Micki ascended the stairs.

As the seconds slowly passed into minutes, Melanie filled out the employment forms to the best of her ability, and she was done and waiting patiently for a minute or two before Micki could return.

"I never filled out a tax form before so I don't know if I done it right or not," Melanie told Micki as Micki was descending the stairs.

"I'll look everything over," Micki replied. "But are you done filling out the forms?"

"I'm done," Melanie replied. "It didn't take me long to fill them out."

"Good," Micki replied as she reached the bottom of the steps. "Do you know how to set parental controls on the TV?"

"I do," Melanie replied. "I can set your TV for you if you want."

"I would greatly appreciate it if you would," Micki replied as she looked past Melanie and stared at the shelves that were just on the other side of the banister.

"Is something wrong, Micki?" Melanie asked as she turned to look.

"Slightly. I'm not comfortable with leaving Lizzy upstairs unsupervised." Micki gestured towards the shelves while saying, "So I'm strongly considering restoring that area as it was fifteen years ago."

"How was that area fifteen years ago?" Melanie asked.

"It was set up as a sitting area, with a couch and a small TV. The TV was an old antenna TV, so it only needed a power outlet to function. In fact, it was after the move to cable TV was when we got rid of the sitting area."

"Cable TV couldn't have worked there?" Melanie asked.

"It could have if we ran the cable, but Jack and I both thought that it was impractical to run cables throughout the building, so we only ran the cable to the upstairs. However, since everything has gone digital and wireless, all I will have to do is bring my TV and the wireless TV receiver down here. I'm going to do it. I'm going to put that area back the way it was so Lizzy can come downstairs with me as I run the store."

"How hard will it be to move those shelves?" Melanie asked.

"For us, hard, but we're not going to do it," Micki replied. "I'll call professional movers and they'll have that area looking like it used to in matter of hours. Before I do that though let me look over your forms."

"Here," Melanie replied as she held out the forms for Micki to take.

Micki took the forms and thoroughly looked them over.

"Everything looks good. Oh, uh, last night I forgot to tell you to bring photo copies of your social security card and your birth certificate with you. I'll need them for payroll purposes and I'll need them before next Thursday. Next Friday will be when you'll get your first paycheck and I won't be able to pay you without photo copies of your social security card and birth certificate."

"I can run home now and get them," Melanie said.

"It's not necessary to make a special trip," Micki said. "Just bring them the next time you come."

"Okay," Melanie said. "So when will I go to work."

"Unless you have something plan today, you can actually start now," Micki said.

"Am I dress okay to work?" Melanie quickly asked

"For today, you're fine," Micki replied. "Mostly, you'll be shadowing me, but right now, your first task will be to set the parental control on my TV upstairs."

"Certainly," Melanie said before standing.

"The TV is in the bedroom and the bedroom is through the double glass doors at the top of the steps."

"Got it," Melanie replied before gesturing towards her purse. "Will my purse be okay here or should I take it with me?"

"There's actually enough room in the bottom right drawer for your purse," Micki replied. "The bottom right drawer is where I keep my purse."

"Okay." Melanie moved her purse to the bottom right drawer, and after closing the drawer, she looked at her watch and said, "It's o-nine-twenty in military time and that's what I'm going to make your parental control; zero-nine-two-zero… unless it's three digits, then I'll make it nine-two-zero."

"Okay," Micki replied in an amused tone and looking at her watch.

Upstairs, Lizzy was coloring in a coloring book at the kitchen table, and once Melanie reached the top of the stairs, Melanie greeted Lizzy with, "Good morning, Lizzy."

"Good morning," Lizzy echoed only out of politeness.

"Your Grandma asked me to set her TV for her," Melanie continued while gesturing towards the double glass doors. "The TV is in there, right?"

"Right," Lizzy simply replied.

Melanie pursed her lips before facing the doors and pushing them open.

The room behind the double glass doors was a big room, and it was being use for a bedroom and a living room.

On the left side of the room, the king-size bed was centered along the left wall. Two nightstands—an inch or two away from the bed on each side of the bed—sat along the left wall. A lamp sat on each of the nightstand. A chest of drawers sat at the far corner along the left wall and inches away from the nightstand on the right. A dresser sat along the wall between the double glass doors and the left wall.

On the right side of the room, the couch was centered along the right wall and it faced the TV, and the TV—while sitting on a TV stand—sat slightly to the right to the center of the room while facing the couch. Also on the TV stand were a wireless TV receiver and a DVD player.

An armchair sat on the right side of the couch, a recliner sat on the left side of the couch and a coffee table sat directly in front of the couch.

Another set of double glass doors were centered along the far wall and they led onto the balcony that overlooked the street.

Melanie looked over the room for only a second before she grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV. She then sat down on the couch before scrolling through the settings for the parental controls.

Lizzy stepped into the doorway and looked in.

"Once I get this set, I'm fairly certain that your grandma will allow you to watch TV," Melanie told Lizzy before following the steps to set the parental control.

"When Grandma got back last night, she told me what paradox means and why you called me a paradox," Lizzy replied.

"What all did your grandma tell you," Melanie asked as she split her focus on setting the TV and listening to Lizzy.

"She told me something about timelines, but I didn't understand it. I said that I did though."

"Would you like me to try to explain it to you?" Melanie said.

"I guess so," Lizzy replied with a shrug.

"I'm not certain how well I can explain it, but I'll try. In fact, once I got home last night I had my brother Billy to explain timelines to me, and he explained while using a lot of what if's."

"What if's?" Lizzy echoed in a curious tone. "What's that?"

"Let me finish what I'm doing here and I'll try to explain it to you," Melanie told her.

"Okay," Lizzy replied as she moved to stand by the couch.

Melanie followed the prompts to set and activate the parental control on the TV, which didn't take her very long to do.

Once everything was set, Melanie tested the TV. When she saw that everything was working properly, she left the TV on the Disney channel. Melanie then turned her complete focus to Lizzy.

"Okay, um, what is your favorite ice-cream flavor?"

"Cookie dough ice-cream," Lizzy replied.

"Is that the flavor that you had last night when Jason took you for ice-cream?"

Lizzy nodded before saying, "I had cookie dough on a waffle cone."

"Yum," Melanie replied with a slight grin. "Now here's the what-if. What would you have done if the ice-cream parlor didn't have any cookie dough ice-cream? And before you answer, let me give you three possible choices. Choice-one, you choose a different flavor ice-cream. Choice-two, you don't get anything at all, and choice-three, you leave that ice-cream parlor and go somewhere that had cookie dough ice-cream. Now which choice would you had done."

Lizzy shrugged while looking slightly confused before saying, "The last time I couldn't get cookie dough, I got chocolate."

"Okay," Melanie said with a slight grin. "Let's say that you would choose a different flavor ice-cream." Lizzy nodded. "Now the timeline that we are in, you had eaten cookie dough ice-cream last night. Now, if I could go back in time to before you went to the ice-cream parlor, I could buy up all the cookie dough ice-cream before you could buy any and change the timeline slightly."

"I don't understand," Lizzy replied while holding a slightly confused expression.

"Okay, let me try to explain what a timeline is a different way," Melanie began. "Let's say that I'm running late to be somewhere and my path is blocked by a rusty fence. If I go around the fence I would be even later, but while standing in front of the fence, I see that I could either climb over the fence or I could go through a hole in the fence.

"Let's say that I chose to go through the hole in the fence, and while I was going through the hole in the fence, I cut my arm on a rusty part of the damage fence. Now being cut by anything rusty can make a person sick if the cut isn't properly treated right away and since I was running late, let's say that I failed to treat my cut properly and I got severely sick hours later. So me getting cut on the fence and ending up in the hospital is one possible timeline.

"Now let's say that instead of me going through the fence, I decided to climb over the fence, but before I could get over the fence safely, I fell off the fence and broke my arm. So in my second possible timeline, I would be wearing a cast for six weeks.

"Now the third and final possible timeline is that I took the safe option and went around the fence, but since I went around the fence I got to my destination too late, so I had to turn around and go back home. Do you understand what I told you?"

"Not really," Lizzy confessed while acting slightly troubled.

"Okay, um," Melanie began before spotting a game box behind the glass of the TV stand. "Do-overs. Do you know what a do-over is?"

Lizzy nodded before saying, "My dad allows me to have do-overs when we play checkers or cards."

"Okay, think of an unchanged timeline as a game without do-overs and an alternate timeline—timeline that had been changed—as a game with do-overs."

"So Uncle Lewis called a do-over," Lizzy replied with an understanding tone.

"He did, but your Uncle Lewis wasn't allowed to call do-overs, so his do-over was him cheating, and my aunt and I caught him cheating."

"Grandma told me that Uncle Lewis did something to change the timeline and that was why I was born," Lizzy replied. "So was Uncle Lewis allowed to keep the do-over even though he was cheating?"

"My aunt and I forced your Uncle Lewis to undo his cheating, but the fact that he had even cheated in the first place had changed things," Melanie replied. "So you're here and you're here to stay."

"But where's my mommy and daddy?" Lizzy questioned. "Grandma said that the woman I saw last night only looked like my mommy, but she wasn't her."

"I don't know the answer to that, Lizzy," Melanie sympathetically told her.

"What about Uncle Lewis?" Lizzy asked. "Where's he?"

"He had gone back to where he had come from," Melanie replied.

"Where did he come from?" Lizzy asked.

"He had come from a place that is far away."

"I've been to Disney World," Lizzy began. "That's far away."

"Disney World is far away, but your Uncle Lewis went a lot farther."

"Will he be back?" Lizzy asked.

"I don't think so," Melanie replied. She then gestured towards the stairs. "Anyway, I'll go let your grandma know that the TV is set."

"Okay," Lizzy said with a nod.

Melanie stood up, and walked away.


	7. A New Beginning Part 2

**A New Beginning Part 2**

Downstairs, Micki was getting off the phone with a moving company when Everett and Monte, (Everett's forty-two-year-old brother) stepped through the door while each holding an end to a large crate. Chloe Diaz (Everett's thirty-nine-year-old sister) and Dennis (Everett's sixty-seven-year-old dad) stepped through the door after them. Everett and Monte were both 5' 11", Dennis was 5' 10" and Chloe was 5' 5" while barefooted. However, Chloe wasn't barefooted. She was wearing three-inch high-heel ankle boots.

Micki moved closer towards them while asking, "What's going on, Everett?"

"Until we can find a suitable and safe place to store the cursed items that we have once again collected, we were hoping that you would store this crate here, with the ones you had collected," Everett said as he and Monte were putting down the crate.

Micki pursed her lips before gesturing and saying, "You can move the crate by my desk and I'll have Jason to secure the curios inside when he gets back later."

"If these curios—as you call them—are in fact psychically calling out to nearby people as you told my son last night, it might be better to get them in your storage area before these objects can find their next victim," Dennis replied before his focus fell onto Melanie as she stepped onto the mid-level balcony from the door leading to Micki's home.

"Mr. Clancy, I don't know you, so I have only your word that the curios in the crate are cursed, and…" Micki was only able to get out.

"They're cursed, Micki," Melanie interrupted as she made her way down the stairs. "I can feel it. Also…"

Melanie stopped in her tracks (talking and descending the stairs) when the door to the shop opened, and a slight disturbed expression came quickly across her face when a blonde haired woman who stood 5' 11" took several steps into the shop and stopped. A muscular, light brown haired man who stood 6' 4" stepped through the door behind the woman.

The woman wore a stylish blue gown and flat roman sandals.

The man wore navy blue shorts with a navy blue belt, a white short-sleeve button-up shirt and brown gladiator sandals. Attached to the belt was a moderate size drawstring, leather coin pouch.

The woman's light blue eyes locked onto Melanie's eyes and Melanie's disturbed expression deepened.

The woman then slightly sighed as Micki turned towards Melanie and asked, "Are you okay, Melanie?"

"None of us are okay," Melanie replied while staring at the woman.

The man gave curious looks from the woman to Melanie before asking Melanie, "Aren't you feeling bliss."

"I'm feeling what you want me to feel and I don't trust it," Melanie replied while remaining midway up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Monte asked.

"Melanie, the young lady on the stairs, is a strong psychic and she is sensing something about my brother and me that she doesn't quite comprehend," the woman replied.

"I can see earthbound spirits, and earthbound spirits to me appear as solid as any other person around me," Melanie informed. "I also know when a spirit is a spirit by the sensation that I feel when I'm around one, and not only am I sensing that you two are spirits, I'm sensing that you two are powerful spirits."

"Melanie, these two people aren't spirits," Everett told her.

"They're not human either," Melanie quickly said. "And powerful spirits is the closest thing I can sense them being."

"Who are you two?" Micki demanded to know.

"We were hoping to do this privately with you, Micki, and as discreetly as possible, but I don't see that happening now," the woman began. "I'm Athena and this is my brother Hermes."

Chloe chuckled slightly before saying, "Your parents must really like Greek mythology to name you after the Gods."

"We weren't named after the Gods, Chloe, we are the Gods," Hermes replied.

"A cosmic imbalance as occurred in the world and the Fates had pinpointed the imbalance to this location," Athena added.

"You two are here because of Lizzy," Melanie replied.

"Yes, we're here because of her," Athena replied. "Her presence is causing a bit of an upheaval."

"Upheaval or not, Lizzy is my granddaughter and she's here to stay," Micki replied as if to make a stand.

"Micki, you know as well as me that Lizzy isn't truly your granddaughter," Athena told her.

"She is my granddaughter," Micki replied. "I don't care how she got here; she's here and I'll protect her with my life."

"I'm sorry, Micki, but who will you protect with your life?" Athena questioned as if what Micki had previously said was unclear.

"I…" Micki was only able to say before acting stumped. Melanie, Everett, Monte, Chloe and Dennis disturbingly watched. "I'm sorry, what did you asked."

"You told me that you will protect someone with your life," Athena informed.

"I did?" Micki questioned. "Odd, I don't remember saying that."

"You were talking about Lizzy," Melanie supplied as she resumed her descent down the steps.

Micki thought for a moment before asking, "Who's Lizzy?"

Melanie reached the bottom of the steps, and as she was facing Athena, she demanded to know, "What did you do to Micki?"

"They didn't do anything to me," Micki replied in a confused tone.

"I did do something to you, Micki. I removed your memories of your granddaughter, Lizzy," Athena informed.

Micki, as if she was suddenly aware of the situation, moved towards the steps while uttering, "Oh my God, Lizzy."

"Lizzy is upstairs and watching television," Athena told Micki. Micki stopped moving towards the stairs and faced Athena. "I'm not interested in taking Lizzy or people's memories of her unless I absolutely have to."

Micki shot Athena a curious look before accusing, "You want something from me and you will exchange what I have for Lizzy."

"You're very astute," Athena sincerely praised. "There is something my family and I need from you, but it's not any of your cursed curios, so you can stop holding your breath and breathe easy."

"What else do I have that you want if it's not cursed curios?" Micki quickly questioned.

"Your service," Athena simply replied.

"My service?" Micki questioned.

"Six half-mortals… or six demigods as mortals would call them, have broken into my family's vault and had stolen precious wood, leather, pelt, metals and gems and then fled here to the mortal realm. Hermes and I have captured the six thieves, but not before they had transformed the wood, leather, pelt, metals and gems into pieces of jewelry and trinkets and distributed them among mortals."

"They're not normal pieces of jewelry and trinkets though, are they?" Micki questioned.

"Each piece of jewelry and each trinket has a supernatural trait about it, and unlike those cursed curios that you had collected, the jewelry and those trinkets don't need someone to die for them to work," Athena replied.

"What kind of supernatural traits do the jewelry and trinkets have?" Dennis was the one to ask.

Athena pursed her lips, and as she considered not answering, Melanie moaned as if to overcome severe pain and dropped to her knees with a crippling headache.

"Melanie," Micki uttered as she rushed to her side. Athena and Hermes stared at her with pursed lips; as if they knew what had happened to her and were helpless to stop it. Dennis, Everett, Monte and Chloe just watched with helpless looks on their faces. "What is it?"

Melanie slightly hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll be alright in a minute. A series of strong visions hit me all at once, and my visions were about people being able to levitate, teleport, shapeshift, regenerate lost limb, supernaturally heal the sick and wounded and resurrect the dead."

"Your visions are quite accurate, Melanie," Athena admitted. "Those pieces of jewelry and trinkets that those half-mortal thieves had distributed will allow mortals to do all those things and more. Micki, you have experience with tracking down cursed curios and removing them from the public. So I would like you to retrieve those supernatural jewelry and trinkets for me."

Melanie stood again as Micki questioned, "And in exchange for my service you will allow my granddaughter to stay here with me?"

"Lizzy will remained with you, but since you had never given birth in your existing reality, alterations to people's memories will have to be made, and once those memories are implanted, you will not be Lizzy's grandmother," Athena replied.

"Okay, then who will I be to Lizzy?" Micki quickly asked.

"I will answer your question in a moment, but first I'm sure that you are aware that you're not as sprightly as you were several years ago," Athena told Micki.

"Yes, I'm aware of that fact," Micki quickly replied. "But I'm not exactly ready for the pastures either."

"True as that is, Micki, for you to retrieve those pieces of jewelry and trinkets, you will need to be at your peak; therefore, I will be giving you twenty-eight years and five months of your youth back to you," Athena informed.

"Twenty-eight years and five months," Micki echoed before doing a quick calculation in her head. "You want to turn me into a thirty-one-year and ten-month old woman again."

"Yes, turning you into a thirty-one-year and ten-month old woman would be the right age for the desired outcome," Athena informed.

"The desired outcome would be me finding your jewelry and trinkets, is it not?" Micki quickly questioned. "So what would it matter if I was slightly older or younger than that."

"Micki, thirty-one years and ten months old is also the age you need to be, to be Lloyd Senior's daughter and Lizzy's mother," Melanie was the one to point out.

"Lloyd's Daughter; then that would mean…" As Micki thought of what that had meant, she turned towards Athena. "Wait, you want me to become my own daughter?"

"Yes," Athena replied, "and once it is done, you will, at first, have your original memories and the memories of being Micki's daughter; however, your original memories will quickly fade into vague dream-like memories and within twenty-four hours they will be gone completely. Also, since I don't want to give Melanie a psychic puzzle for her to solve, Melanie's memories of who you were will go untouched for now, but for everyone who had come into contact with you, you will be Micki's daughter and Lizzy's mother. And if you want Lizzy to remain with you, then turning you into Lizzy's mother is nonnegotiable."

"And where will people believe me to be once you turn me into a… into a thirty-one year old woman?" Micki quickly asked.

"You were involved in a serious car accident seven years ago that had damaged a good section of your liver," Athena began. "So once I turn you into a thirty-one year old woman, everyone who knows you as Micki will believe that you had damaged your entire liver and died, and you, being Micki's daughter, had inherited the store. So which will it be, Micki? Will you become Lizzy's mother or do I restore balance to this reality as it once was?"

"If being Lizzy's mother is the only way I can keep her in my life, then do it, but I don't want you to give Lloyd any memories of me being his daughter," Micki replied. "I hadn't seen Lloyd since our relationship had ended, so as far as I'm concern, I—I as my original self—had raised his daughter without him knowing that he had a daughter."

"I can do that," Athena replied. "Anyway, what will your name be?"

"I actually like my name as Micki," she replied. "And I do know a mother and daughter with the same first and middle name. So I would like to keep my name if I could."

"Implanting memories would most likely fail if you keep your name as Micki," Athena replied. "However, changing your name to Nicki would be enough to make the memory implants work."

"Okay, fine," Micki replied. "Rename me as Nicole… pff, I don't know. Nicole Allison Foster with my nickname as being Nicki."

Athena nodded her head and then after a flash of her eyes, Micki acted as if she was having a severe migraine.

Melanie, Dennis, Everett, Monte and Chloe watched with concern and slightly squeamish expressions on their faces as Micki massaged her temples and regressed in age; one year for every six seconds.

During the passing three minutes and twenty-one seconds, Micki—while enduring a severe migraine—had gone from being a sixty-year and three-month old woman who stood 5' 7" to being Nicki, a woman who stood 5' 11" and looked to be in her mid-twenties. Also her shoulder length hair grew slightly longer and her recently trimmed fingernails grew out longer as well. Her clothes were even altered to fit her.

Soon after the age regression and migraine had completely ended, Athena informed, "Done, and I gave you five additional years of your youth back, Nicki. As far as the populous of the world is concern, you are two months from turning thirty-two, but physically you are two months from turning twenty-seven."

"Thanks," Nicki appreciatively said. She then concentrated on her thoughts for a moment. "Are my memories supposed to be distorted though?"

"How are they distorted?" Chloe was the one to ask.

Nicki thought for a moment before saying, "I have my original memories and I have memories of being Nicki. It's all confusing."

"In about an hour, your memories as Nicki will completely overshadow your original memories, so any confusion you feel right now will diminish quickly," Athena informed.

Nicki nodded for a moment before coming completely still, as if a frightening thought came over her.

"What's wrong, Mick… I mean, Nicki?" Melanie asked.

Nicki moved quickly to a nearby mirror that was for sale and looked at her reflection.

Nicki had the slender body, the full lips, the hazel eyes and the red hair as when she was Micki, but her remaining features were different."

"The woman in the mirror is not me; this was not how I looked when I was thirty-one… or even when I was twenty-seven," Nicki said while facing Athena.

"You are no longer Micki, and how you look now is how you would have looked if you were, in fact, Micki and Lloyd's daughter and Lizzy's mother." Athena replied. "Also if someone would test your DNA, your DNA will show you as being Micki and Lloyd's daughter and Lizzy's mother."

"So you had truly turned me into Nicki," she replied.

"It had to be done this way in order to balance out this reality," Athena replied. "However, I did take the liberty and made you a few inches taller. You're 5' 11', but you would have been 5' 8".

"I would have been okay with being 5' 8'," Nicki replied.

"Trust me; being 5' 11" will benefit you," Athena informed.

"Oddly enough, I do trust you," Nicki told Athena.

Athena grinned as she continued to say, "Also, because of some of the trinkets you will be going after, I augmented your strength. So although you look like you have average strength, you are actually twice as strong as the average man."

"Okay, thanks," Nicki replied in a gracious tone.

Athena nodded with a slight grin before saying, "Anyway, to help you to adjust to your new role, I will be referring to your past actions as your mom's past actions."

"Okay," Nicki replied in an uncertain tone.

"How often do you rewrite history?" Melanie asked.

"We never rewrite history; however, Lewis Vendredi isn't the first sorcerer to time travel and cause a cosmic imbalance," Athena began. "Normally my siblings and I will put events back on their natural course, but there was one other time besides this one where we had fixed an imbalance by altering people's memories to accommodate the cosmic imbalance rather than putting a course of events back as they should have been."

"When was the first time?" Melanie asked.

"A very, very long time ago and you don't need to know more than that," Athena told Melanie.

"I'm just curious," Melanie replied.

"It's good to be curious; it helps you learn, but I can't satisfy your curiosity this time," Athena replied.

Melanie shrugged while saying, "It's fine."

"Athena, perhaps you can satisfy my curiosity on something," Nicki began. "Since I'm now Lizzy's mother; who's Lizzy's father."

"You already know the answer to that, Nicki," Athena replied. "Think back nine years ago, just before you got pregnant with Lizzy. Who were you dating?"

"I didn't…" Nicki turned quiet as her memories surfaced, as if automatically. After being quiet for a brief moment, Nicki continued to say, "I have memories of dating a man named Matthew Tanner. We began dating during my freshmen year in college. He and I lived in Normal, Illinois. Illinois State University is where he and I completed prelaw and law school together. Matt and I had gotten engage soon after we had passed our bar exams, but before we could walk down the aisle… or even find work as lawyers, he was shot and killed by a carjacker. A couple of weeks later, I learned that I was pregnant and Mom convinced me to move back here. I'm an attorney, but instead of practicing law, I run this shop. I know none of that is true, but those memories seemed very real to me."

"As far as you and the populous of the world are concerned, everything you said is true and those memories are very real," Athena replied.

"Okay, but did Matt ever existed?" Nicki quickly asked.

"Matt had been conceived in this reality and in Lizzy's reality, but his mother—Lizzy's grandmother—was seventeen and had aborted the pregnancy soon after she had found out that she was pregnant," Athena replied. "Two years later, and from the same man, Lizzy's grandmother had gotten pregnant with Lizzy's mother."

"So you're replacing the son who I never had in this reality with… with the new me, and Lizzy's real mom is being replaced by Lizzy's unborn uncle for Lizzy's parents," Nicki commented as if to get her facts straight in her head.

"Correct," Athena replied.

"Matt was adopted though," Nicki said as the thought came to her, and as if it was a fact. "He never knew his biological parents and his adopted parents were killed in a car accident soon after Lizzy was born."

"Excellent, Nicki," Athena praised. "Your memories seem to be flowing well, but to be absolutely sure, tell me the day and month that you were born."

"August 8th," Nicki said without putting any thought into her answer. "Although, I was three weeks premature. My mom's due date was August 30th."

Athena nodded with a grin before saying, "Something had happened to you, Nicki, just one week before your tenth birthday. What was it?"

Without putting too much thought into her response, Nicki replied, "I followed a stray cat into a condemned building that was scheduled to be demolished within twenty-four hours. After entering, the rotted floor gave way and I fell through the floor and severely spraining my ankle when I hit the basement floor. I then mostly sat where I had fallen for the ten hours that it took for a police officer to find me."

"And what did your mom do when you were reunited with her?" Athena asked.

Nicki slightly hesitated before saying, "She scolded me for going into the condemned building, and then she held me tight and told me how much I had worried her."

"Yes, your memories are flowing nicely," Athena said. "Anyway, Nicki, to get back on the subject as to why my brother and I had interrupted you and your associates…"

"Mr. Clancy and his family are not my associates," Nicki told Athena while glancing at Dennis. Dennis and his adult children and Hermes were simply watching the exchange between Nicki and Athena. "They brought in a large crate for me to store for them."

"I'm aware as to why they are here, Nicki," Athena replied with a slight grin. "And like you, they are also good at tracking down cursed curios."

"Like me? My mom was the one who…" Nicki became quiet when she realized of what she was saying.

"You should not have stopped yourself from correcting me, Nicki," Athena replied. "Because you're quite right. Your mom, Jack and Johnny were the ones who had tracked down those cursed curios and they had collected all of them before your seventh birthday. In fact, you were a freshman in high school when you learned about them and you learned about them from one of your teachers."

Nicki thought for a moment before saying, "I learned about them from Mrs. Hendrix—my algebra teacher. Mom had saved Mrs. Hendrix from a cursed tennis racket ten years before that."

"Yes," Athena agreed. "Anyway, to get back on the subject as to why my brother and I are here, we would like for you to find those trinkets and those pieces of jewelry for us and retrieve them."

"Of course I will help you and your brother, Athena," Nicki told her. "But how can I tell the difference between a cursed object and one of the objects that you are looking for?"

"The objects I'm looking for may or may not leave behind a body or two, but they won't leave behind a long trail of bodies as those cursed objects will. Other than that, they will act the same way as those cursed objects," Athena began. "However, you really won't need to distinguish between the two. I'll give you a necklace for you to wear and that necklace will directly alert me when you have found an object that doesn't belong to this world."

"Okay," Nicki replied with a nod and thinking about what had been said.

Athena gestured towards Dennis and his family and said, "When I first arrived, I saw that you were skeptical towards them and their intentions, but don't be. They have the same mission as your mom and Jack had. They can be a great help to you, Jason and Melanie."

"Okay," Nicki replied in an accepting tone.

"Anyway, I will give you and Melanie each a necklace to wear and then Hermes and I will go," Athena said before facing Hermes and holding out her hand.

"What about the four of us?" Dennis asked Athena as Hermes reached into his pouch. "Do we get necklaces?"

As Hermes was pulling out the two necklaces, each with an emerald teardrop crystal, Athena replied, "Dennis, when Hermes and I leave, Nicki and Melanie will be the only two who will remember the truth about Hermes and me. So you and your kids won't even know why you were each given a necklace anyway."

"You're going to erase our memories?" Chloe quickly asked.

"I will be exchanging your memories," Athena told Chloe as she took the necklaces from Hermes.

"What exactly does that mean?" Chloe again quickly asked.

"You will remember me and my brother, but you will only remember us as customers who are looking for specific pieces of jewelry and trinkets," Athena began. "You will also remember Nicki going the extra mile and volunteering to help me track down those pieces of jewelry and trinkets."

"Why alter our memories?" Everett asked.

"I can't very well have mortals knowing the truth about me, Hermes and the other Olympians and spreading the knowledge of our existence," Athena replied.

"We wouldn't do that," Chloe quickly said.

"As sincere as you are right now—and I know for a fact that you are sincere—your sincerity could change at any time in the future," Athena replied. "I'm sorry, Chloe, but you and your family can't keep the knowledge about me and my brother coming here."

"But Nicki and Melanie can keep their memories?" Chloe quickly asked, as if to call foul.

"Since my business is with Nicki, for now, she gets to keep her memories of me and my brother," Athena replied. "And altering Melanie's memories at this point will only cause her to have psychic dreams about me, Hermes and the other Olympians. Those dreams will make Melanie to seek answers, so for right now, Melanie gets to keep her memories as well."

"It's fine," Dennis quickly told Athena and shooting looks to his children as if to tell them to stop protesting. "I understand why you two and the other Olympians would want to keep your existence a secret. So I'm okay with you altering my memory. Of course it really doesn't matter if I'm okay with it or not, does it?"

"It doesn't," Athena told Dennis with a polite grin. "However, I do appreciate your understanding."

Dennis acknowledged Athena with a polite grin and a head nod.

Athena turned and handed Nicki a necklace. As Nicki was putting on her necklace, Athena handed Melanie the remaining necklace.

After Melanie had put on her necklace, Athena and Hermes exchanged their departing pleasantries with Nicki, Melanie, Dennis, Everett, Monte and Chloe and left.

Once the door had closed behind Athena and Hermes, Dennis, Everett, Monte and Chloe abruptly acted as if they had recovered from a stupor.

"Anyway, Nicki, if these cursed objects are psychically calling out to nearby people then shouldn't they go into your storage area sooner rather than later?" Dennis asked.

"And they are definitely cursed, Nicki," Melanie added while glancing towards the exit. "In fact, the collective evil I feel from them has my inner alarm buzzy like crazy, and I have no doubt that customers who would come in would be drawn to it."

"All right; you're right, Mr. Clancy," Nicki told him.

"Please, Nicki, call me Dennis," he replied.

"Okay, Dennis," Nicki began. "You and your sons can follow me with the crate."

"Get the crate," Dennis told Everett and Monte.

Everett and Monte picked up the crate and then followed Nicki through the store.

Melanie and Chloe remained out front and after a short silence, Chloe asked Melanie, "So what kind of music do you listen to?"

Melanie slightly grinned before answering her.

As Nicki led Dennis, Everett and Monte towards the vault door, Dennis commented, "You have a nice setup down here. How thick are those doors to that storage room?"

"That's more of a vault than a storage room, and it's thick; however, there is no room for your items within that vault," Nicki replied. "There is a second vault though, that does have room for your cursed items."

"Okay," Dennis replied. "So where's the second vault?"

"Below us," Nicki replied before bending down and grabbing the proper end of the door—a door that looked like a decorative floor plate.

The door hinged on the opposite side of where Nicki had grabbed it, and once the door was open, Nicki told them, "You three won't be able to get that big crate down those steps. So you three will have to carry down the items one or two at a time."

"We'll get busy on that, and you can go manage your store, Nicki," Dennis told her.

"Dennis, I feel as though that I'm taking a huge risk by, by not only showing you and your sons where my two vaults are, but by giving you and your sons access to them," Nicki began as Everett and Monte was easing down the crate next to the stairs that led down. "Please, please don't make me regret doing that."

"I can see that you have your doubts about us, Nicki, but I swear, we are on the same side," Dennis replied.

"Yes, well, my mom had shared stories with me about how she had trusted certain people with the secrets to the vault and had lived to regret those times," Nicki replied.

"As to how strong your doubts are of us, one would think that it was you who had trusted the wrong people," Monte commented.

"Monte, any cursed item has a force to it that should not be messed with, so if I was in Nicki's situation, I would be very cautious of three strangers as well," Dennis replied. "In fact, Nicki, it's fine with me if you would like to stay and watch us as we unload the crate."

Nicki considered it for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "Actually, I really need to be upstairs in case customers come in. Also I should see what my daughter is doing. So put the items wherever you can find room for them, and let me know when you're are through."

"Will do," Dennis and Monte said.

Nicki nodded with a polite grin before turning towards the stairs that led from the basement and walking away.

Upstairs, Melanie and Chloe were discussing Country music.

Nicki heard that they were talking about songs as she approached them, but she only recognized a few songs that were mentioned.

"Nicki, do you like Country music?" Melanie asked when she saw her approaching.

"It's okay," Nicki replied as she joined Melanie and Chloe. "Why?"

"Chloe and I are discussing Old Country versus New Country," Melanie replied.

"I only consider Country songs that were recorded before the 1990s… and maybe a few songs that were recorded during the 1990s as being Country music—or what I like to say as being True Country," Chloe added. "The songs that have been recorded after the 1990s are something other than Country music even though the people who are producing them are labeling them as Country music."

Melanie shrugged before adding, "Well, most of my favorite Country songs are from the 1950s to the 1980s—so you and I do have that in common—but I also like some of Maranda Lampert's songs and some of Carrie Underwood's songs as well, regardless if their songs are not truly Country. So what kind of music do you like, Nicki?"

"Actually I like and dislike music from every genre about equally," Nicki began. "So I don't consider myself a fan to a specific genre, and the CDs that are in my car are actually mixed CDs of the music that I do like the most. Anyway, Chloe, the crate that you and your family had brought in is too big for either of my vaults. So your dad and brothers are transferring the items from the crate to my second vault, and they might be a few minutes before they're through."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Do you mind if I browse around and see what all you sell?"

"Not at all," Nicki replied.

"Thanks," Chloe said before turning and walking towards a bookcase.

"Melanie, I'm going upstairs for a moment and check on Lizzy, and if any customers come in while I'm upstairs, just let them know that I'll be down shortly," Nicki told her.

"Will do," Melanie replied before Nicki could turn and walk away.

Melanie rejoined Chloe and continued her discussion about Country music and Country musicians.

It didn't take Dennis, Everett and Monte long to transfer all of the items from the crate to the underground vault, and after Dennis told Nicki that they were done, Nicki did a quick check on what was added, as well as making sure that nothing was removed.

Once Nicki was satisfied that the new items were safely in the vault and the old items were still in their proper places, Dennis told Nicki where he and his family were going next.

After Dennis, Everett, Monte and Chloe left the shop, Nicki began training Melanie.


	8. A New Beginning Part 3

**A New Beginning Part 3**

The two movers, (Glenn—a thirty-five-year-old man who stood 5' 11" and Howard—a nineteen-year-old man who stood 6' 0") who Micki (before Micki was turned into Nicki) had hired to, once again, make a part of the back-middle area into a small lounging area, had showed up at 12:45 P.M. (ten minutes after Nicki, Lizzy and Melanie had finished eating sub-sandwiches and chips from a nearby deli that delivered).

As Nicki was explaining to Glenn and Howard what she wanted done, Jason—while dressed in Khakis, a blue short-sleeve shirt and black shoes, and carrying a large box—opened the front door.

Lizzy was upstairs and watching a DVD—101 Dalmatians.

Melanie was standing near the cash register and watching and listening to Nicki, Glenn and Howard when she heard the clanging of the doorbell. Nicki heard the doorbell as well and turned to look when Melanie did, but unlike Melanie—who was now focused on Jason's bulging biceps as he carried the box—Nicki turned her focus back towards Glenn and Howard.

"So how long do you think that it will take you?" Nicki asked Glenn.

"We should have everything set up for you in about an hour, Ms. Foster," Glenn replied.

"Excellent. Then I'll get out of your two's way and let you get to it," Nicki told him before facing Jason and walking away.

Jason stepped up to the display-case/counter (the display case that the cash register was on) and put the large box down on the floor.

"So what's in the box? Hidden treasures?" Melanie lightly joked.

"One could only hope," Jason replied as he opened the box and revealed small to medium size clocks. "A woman sold me her late father's clock collection and these clocks will either sell or sit on the shelf and collect dust."

"Let's hope that it's the former and not the latter," Nicki replied as she joined Jason and Melanie next to the box.

"I'm all for that, Nicki," Jason replied as he saw Melanie watching him as if something unexpected was about to happen. "Are you okay, Melanie?"

"I'm fine," Melanie claimed.

"Are you sure?" Jason questioned. "Because you're watching me as if I'm ready to burst out into flames and you don't want to miss it."

"I was just wondering if you had ever met Micki, that's all," Melanie replied as if it was no big deal.

Jason chuckled with little humor before saying, "You asked me that last night?"

"Did I?" Melanie genuinely questioned.

"Yes, right after Lizzy and I had returned home from the ice-cream parlor," Jason replied.

"Strange, I don't remember asking you that," Melanie replied.

"Well, you did and my answer was 'no'. I had never met Nicki's mom," Jason replied while facing Nicki.

"Jason and I had only met nine months ago…" Nicki was only able to get out.

"And I have only been working here for eight months," Jason added.

Nicki waited for Jason to get done talking before she—as if it was a known fact—continued to say, "And since my mom had passed away seven years ago after a tragic car accident, Jason and my mom would have never met."

Melanie pursed her lips and nodded to acknowledge what was said.

"Anyway, Nicki, there are five larger clocks in the SUV."

"Are they too heavy for Melanie to help carry them in?" Nicki asked.

"I don't know," Jason said in a teasing tone. "Melanie does look awfully slender in the arms."

"Hey, my arms aren't that slender," Melanie defended. "And I have picked up something that had weighed seventy pounds before."

"Wow," Jason replied in a genuinely impressed tone. "Seventy pounds is slightly more than I expected you to be able to lift. Anyway, the heaviest clock is maybe twenty-five pounds. So, Melanie, you can help me bring them in.'

"Okay," Melanie replied.

"Come," Jason said with a hand gesture while turning and walking towards the door.

Melanie followed Jason out onto the sidewalk and as they were reaching Jason's SUV, Melanie saw a spirit of James Miller—a man who died at the age of fifty—next to the SUV.

Melanie was good at pretending as if she couldn't see ghosts though and as she ignored James, James began yelling at Jason.

"You lowballing son of a bitch," James uttered. "You gave my daughter squat for the clocks and then you bring them here to sell them to an antique dealer."

Without acknowledging James or his presence, Melanie told Jason, "My life has certainly changed since seven-thirty last night. I'm working in a store that I swore to myself that I would never enter and I confessed to my mom—and to myself as far as that matter—that I was in fact psychic; although my mom isn't convinced that I'm a psychic."

James turned quiet and curiously stared at Melanie as Jason—as he and Melanie stopped next to the SUV—replied, "Well, Nicki and I are convinced that you are in fact a psychic, so you don't have to hide that aspect of yourself with us."

"And it feels great not to hide what I can do," Melanie sincerely said. "Which is why I want to come clean about one other thing."

"Oh? What other thing is that?" Jason asked.

"I'll put it to you this way," Melanie began. "There's a man's spirit here and he believes that you had lowballed his daughter."

"You can see and hear me," James uttered to Melanie.

"Yes, I can see and hear you," Melanie told James and looking him in the eyes.

"Wait, you can see and hear ghosts and James Miller's ghost is here?" Jason quickly asked.

"At least the thief knows who he robbed," James replied.

"Yes and yes," Melanie told Jason. "And he's calling you a thief."

"Thief?" Jason echoed as if he was insulted.

"He feels that you had robbed his daughter," Melanie replied.

"I didn't rob his daughter," Jason told Melanie in an annoyed tone.

"Don't get mad at me," Melanie replied. "I'm just conveying to you what James had said and feels."

"Yes, well, I didn't rob anyone," Jason said in a calmer tone. "I told Alicia what I felt was a fair price for the clock collection and she accepted it."

Melanie listened to James before saying, "He says that you had given Alicia two hundred dollars for the entire collection and he says that the Black Forest cuckoo clock that you have in the SUV is worth twice that much alone."

"Tell James…" Jason was only able to get out.

"He can hear you," Melanie quickly said and gesturing towards the passenger's door. "And he is standing right there."

"Okay," Jason replied in an 'all right then' tone. "James, I had told Alicia to sell the clocks here on consignment, but she wanted to sell them outright and for me to make an offer for them; and I did. Alicia accepted my offer without asking for a higher price. Now I know nothing of clocks, so if I drastically lowballed your daughter, it wasn't on purpose."

"But he knew that the clocks were worth more than what he had paid for them; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought them here to be sold on consignment as he told Alicia to do," James replied.

"Jason didn't bring in the clocks to put on consignment as he told Alicia to do," Melanie told James. "Jason works here."

"Yes, I work here," Jason added as if he was following the conversation that Melanie and James were having. "Also, Mr. Miller, your daughter contacted us. Collecting antique clocks was your hobby and she didn't want them after you had passed away, and one of my duties is collecting antiques and curios that people no longer want. We will also initially ask for a lower price than what we truly believe that the items can be sold for. Most people will make a counter offer, but your daughter didn't, Mr. Miller. So my original asking price was the price we went with."

Melanie listened to what James had to say before saying, "He says that Alicia is not savvy when it comes to negotiating and he believes that you took unfair advantage of her."

"Yes, well, as I said, I know nothing of clocks, so I did not purposely take advantage of anyone," Jason replied.

"He says that you know now and he wants to know what you're going to do about it," Melanie told Jason.

"I'll let Nicki know that I might have underpaid Alicia for the clocks and let her decide at what to do about it," Jason said.

"Nicki is the owner of 'Curious Goods'," Melanie told James.

"Okay, well, if Nicki doesn't go back and pay Alicia a fair price for the clocks, I'm haunting 'Curious Goods,'" James replied.

Melanie slightly chuckled with little humor before saying, "You're a new spirit—I can tell. In fact, I'm willing to bet that you haven't been dead for more than a week yet. Am I wrong?"

"It has been five days if it matters," James said.

"It does matter," Melanie replied. "Because it means that you're not strong enough to do anything, but hang about unseen."

"You can see me," James pointed out.

"And I'm the only one here who can, and I learned a few months ago that after drinking two beers, I can stop seeing and hearing ghosts long enough for you to get bored with me and move on," Melanie replied.

"Melanie?" Jason questioned in a concerned tone. "Is everything okay?"

"James had threaten to haunt' Curious Goods' if Nicki doesn't go back and pay Alicia a fair price for the clocks," Melanie replied. "But it could take years for him to get strong enough to do anything other than hang about unseen by nearly everyone and normally a spirit would get bored and move on long before he or she could get strong enough."

"I'm a patient man," James replied.

"You might be patient enough to wait around and grow stronger, but I'm afraid you are no longer a man," Melanie replied. "You're a spirit and spirits have a tendency to lose sight as to why they decided to stick around and turn nasty; even towards the people they had loved in life."

"You're lying," James accused. "You're trying to trick me into moving on."

"Yes, I want you to move on, but I'm not lying," Melanie replied. "Your intentions might be to stick around and watch over Alicia, but in twenty years, you will begin to forget that you had chosen to stick around. Of course you will force yourself to remember, but after five to ten years of forcing yourself to remember, you will begin to forget that you need to force yourself to remember. Then, once you can no longer recall as to why you are here, you will begin to resent Alicia for holding you here."

"In spite your tallness, you looked to be no more than nineteen years old?" James began. "So as young as you are, you cannot possibly know this?"

"I'm sixteen actually, and I know what I'm talking about because I have overheard older spirits questioning themselves as to why they didn't move into the light when they had the chance and then getting frustrated or angry when they can't remember," Melanie replied.

"And how many older spirits have you heard questioning themselves?" James challenged.

"Not many, I admit, but the chance is there that you will forget as to why you hadn't crossed over when you had the chance," Melanie replied.

"Yes, well, I'll take my chances. I'm not going to allow my daughter to be taken advantage of from people like him," James replied while gesturing towards Jason.

"Melanie, I can only follow your half of the conversation, and from what I hear, James Miller isn't going anywhere," Jason uttered over James's final words. "So grab one of these clocks and take it inside. I'll grab the cuckoo clock that James believes that I stole and then we'll let Nicki know of the situation."

"Alright," Melanie replied before moving towards the SUV.

Jason grabbed the cuckoo clock—which was the largest of the five clocks—and began carrying it towards the shop.

Before Melanie grabbed the second largest clock—which was also a cuckoo clock—she held her hand over the clock for a few seconds. She then grabbed the clock and followed Jason.

Nicki was near the cash register and watching Glenn and Howard as they boxed up the curios from the shelves when Melanie and Jason carried the two clocks into the shop. James followed them in.

"Nicki, we have a little and unusual situation about the clocks," Jason announced as he, Melanie and James approached Nicki.

"And what's the situation?" Nicki quickly asked while turning her attention to Jason.

"The clocks' original owner is here," Jason replied as he and Melanie were putting down the clocks on the floor near the display-case/counter.

"I thought that the clocks' original owner had died," Nicki pointed out as Melanie and Jason stood upright.

"He did, but apparently Melanie can see ghosts," Jason replied.

"Great," Nicki sarcastically replied. "My mom was haunted by her Uncle Lewis's ghost during her first year of owning the store and now I'm being haunted by a ghost."

"Mr. Miller doesn't want to haunt you though," Melanie told Nicki. "He feels that Jason had taken advantage of his daughter and he wants you or Jason to make it right."

"How…" Nicki was only able to get out.

"I paid two hundred dollars for the entire clock collection and according to Mr. Miller, this cuckoo clock is worth twice that much alone," Jason said while indicating to the clock.

"Mr. Miller doesn't care about you buying the clocks from his daughter, but he's insisting that you pay his daughter a fair price for them," Melanie added.

Nicki pursed her lips for a moment before asking, "What is Mr. Miller's daughter's name?"

"Alicia Branney," Jason replied.

"Okay, well before I give Ms. Branney any more money, I will find out what the wholesale value for each of the clocks is. If the total wholesale value is a lot more than two hundred dollars, then I will contact Ms. Branney and tell her what the value of the clock collection is really worth at a wholesale price."

"Mr. Miller said that he had paid retail price for his clocks," Melanie informed.

"Yes, well, if I would pay retail prices for what I sell here, I would never make enough money to keep the lights on," Nicki replied. "No store owner would and no store owner will pay full retail price for goods to be sold."

"He's not happy, but he's accepting the fact that you will only pay wholesale prices for goods," Melanie told Nicki.

"Good," Nicki replied before gesturing towards the desk that sat on the mid-level balcony. "I'll go research those prices, and, Jason, you and Melanie are to put the clocks in the basement."

"There are wall spaces available for the wall clocks and I can make room on the shelves for the other clocks," Jason pointed out.

"I don't want to put out the clocks until I know their actual value," Nicki replied.

"Okay," Jason replied. "Let's get to work, Melanie."

"Right behind you," Melanie said just before everyone went their respective ways.

As Melanie followed Jason, she saw that James was following Nicki.

Ten minutes later, once all the clocks were in the basement, Jason grabbed a feather duster after returning to the first floor, and while handing it to Melanie, he told her, "When there are no customers to wait on or if there is nothing more important to do, you are to grab a feather duster and dust off each and every curio, even if you think that it doesn't need it. And if you reach the end and you still don't have anything better to do, you can grab a broom and start sweeping or you can begin dusting again."

"Ah, right," Melanie replied in an understanding tone. "Too much idle time around Nicki, Nicki might decide that she doesn't need me after all."

"Something like that," Jason said in an amused grin. Nicki—while researching the value of the clocks from the mid-level balcony and occasionally glancing down towards the front door—had overheard Melanie and amusingly grinned as well. "Anyway, when you dust the smaller curios or the breakable curios, you should hold it with one hand and dust it with the other."

"Aye-Aye, Matey," Melanie said with a mock salute and then turned on her heals.

"Just don't break anything," Jason told Melanie as Melanie was walking towards the front of the store.

"Not breaking things is the plan," Melanie called back as she continued to walk towards the first curio that a person would come to after entering the store.

Jason took a breath, turned towards the back of the store and walked away. Jason eased passed Glenn and Howard as they were stacking boxes of recently boxed curios near the basement steps and then continued to the box of old picture frames that still had old photos.

After opening the box, Jason proceeded to remove the photos from the frames. The frames were put in a second box and the photos were put into another box—a box that had hundreds of photos already.

Melanie, while using her left hand to dust, dusted a few big curios that didn't need holding, but after Melanie stepped up to the first small curio—a ceramic figurine of a horse—she held her right hand over the figurine by a few inches.

Nicki had glanced down from the balcony and witnessed Melanie's action.

"Melanie?" Nicki called.

"Yes, ma'am?" Melanie questioned while dropping her right hand to her side and looking up at Nicki.

James had remained with Nicki while Nicki was doing her research and Melanie glanced at him as well.

"Are you okay?" Nicki questioned.

"Yeah, I'm good," Melanie replied in a tone as if Nicki's question had confused her.

"I only ask because you acted as if that horse figurine was producing an enormous amount of heat," Nicki pointed out.

"Oh, uh, no," Melanie replied as if things made sense to her. "Not always, but more often than I would like, objects—especially previously own objects—have stories to tell, and I learned a few years ago that if I held my hand about three inches away from any object, I can sense if the object has a story to tell or not."

"So does the horse have something to say?" Nicki asked.

"It does, actually," Melanie replied. "And it's not that I want to avoid dusting, but I would really like to avoid picking up the horse and any other items that have something to say."

"You don't like hearing what the objects have to say?" James asked.

Nicki overlapped James's words with the exact question.

Melanie gave Nicki a curious look before saying, "With rare exceptions, objects mostly have tragedy or misery to tell me; tragedy or misery that I can't do anything about. So I normally avoid objects that have something to say."

Nicki nodded in an understanding manner before saying, "It's fine, Melanie, if you avoided those objects. Just make a mental list of them so I or Jason could dust them later."

"Okay," Melanie replied just before noticing that Howard was looking at her.

Before Melanie could respond to Howard's stare, he asked, "You're a psychic?"

"We're here to work; not to socialize," Glenn told him.

"I'm just asking her a question," Howard defended.

"I'm a psychic," Melanie told Howard before Glenn could drag Howard's attention away from her. "Wow. That felt liberating to say publically."

Howard gave Melanie a grin that showed he was somewhat baffled before Glenn could pull his attention away.

"Let's get a move on, Howard," Glenn told him. "We have other places to get to today as well."

As Howard and Glenn continued their work, Melanie turned her attention back to dusting the curios.

Within thirty minutes, Melanie had gone from dusting every curio—except for the horse figurine and a WWII helmet that she could psychically feel as well—to cleaning the glass from the five display-cases. After the display-cases were cleaned, she swept the floor. She then went from sweeping to helping Lizzy to swap out her movie DVD for the movie 'Cars'.

Jason had went from emptying old picture frames to putting curios on the few empty shelves, and then went from that to sorting the books that had recently come in.

Nicki—with James watching over her shoulder—had completed her research on the clock collection just before Melanie had returned from upstairs and had learned that the wholesale value of the entire clock collection was actually six hundred dollars.

Glenn and Howard had finished turning the back-middle area into a small lounging area around the same time that Nicki had completed her research.

The lounging area consisted of a full-size couch and a coffee table, a TV stand, a TV, a DVD player and a wireless TV receiver. The TV stand, the TV, the DVD player and the wireless TV receive were from Nicki's room.

Once Glenn and Howard were given a check for their services and had left, Lizzy was instructed to come down and sit in the lounging area to watch TV and/or to play with her toys and puzzles.

Once Lizzy was watching her DVD in the lounging area, Nicki—while standing near the cash register and several feet from Lizzy—attempted to call Alicia Branney, but had received a message that the phone number was no longer in service.

Jason had finished sorting the books and was walking by when Nicki ended her call.

"Jason, was Ms. Branney's number working this morning?" Nicki quickly asked.

"It was," Jason replied. "It's not working now?"

"I'm getting a 'no longer in service' message," Nicki informed.

"Why would her phone be no longer in service?" James rhetorically asked before disappearing from Melanie's sight.

"That's weird," Jason said while overlapping what James was saying. "I could go back over there if you like."

"Actually, I'll go, and I'll take Melanie with me," Nicki replied.

"You want me to go with you?" Melanie questioned in a curious tone.

"Since James is here and you are the only one who can see and hear him, I think you should go with me," Nicki told her.

"Alright," Melanie said with a slight shrug. "And FYI, James is curious too as to why his daughter's number is no longer in service and had left as soon as you said it."

"Okay, well, most likely he had gone to his daughter, so I will still need you to come with me," Nicki told her.

"Okay," Melanie replied.

"Mom? Can I come?" Lizzy asked while standing on the back of the couch and holding onto the banister.

When Nicki saw that Lizzy was standing on the back of the couch, she calmly said, "Yes, you can come, and you can also get down from that couch like that before you fall and hurt yourself, and don't let me see you standing on the couch like that again."

Without verbally replying, Lizzy dropped down onto the couch into a sitting position and then quickly jumped up from the couch before dashing to Nicki's side.

"Elizabeth, stop running in the store," Nicki ordered as the front door opened and ringing the bell.

"I'll stop," Lizzy replied as Nicki was turning her attention towards the customer—a twenty-two-year-old man who stood 5' 7".

Nicki put her hand on Lizzy's shoulder while telling the customer, "Welcome to Curious Goods. Are you looking for anything specific?"

"Actually, I was hoping that you had a ventriloquist dummy," the man said as he stepped up.

"Sorry, it's been about a year since the last time we had a ventriloquist dummy," Nicki replied. "Is there anything else you might need?"

The man shrugged for a moment before asking, "What about magic kits?"

"There is a magic kit," Melanie was the one to say before gesturing. "It's over there. I saw it when I was dusting."

Nicki slightly grinned before telling Melanie, "Show him to the magic kit."

"Okay," Melanie replied before gesturing, "The kit is this way."

When Melanie walked away, the man followed.

A short time later, the man agreed to buy the magic kit after seeing what all it consisted of. Jason then rang the man out and after the man left, so did Nicki, Melanie and Lizzy. Nicki and Melanie both took their purses.


	9. A New Beginning Part 4

**A New Beginning Part 4**

After a forty-minute drive, Nicki reached Alicia's house, which was located in Wheaton, IL, at 3: 12 P.M.

The house had two stories, a basement, an attic and a garage. The front left corner of the garage sat twenty paces from the back right corner of the house. A driveway stretched from the main road to the garage, and parked in front of the garage was a blue Honda Civic.

"Good, someone's home," Nicki said as she rolled to a stop several feet behind the Honda Civic.

Lizzy—after playing with her dolls in the back seat behind Nicki—was now looking around and seeing where they were.

As Nicki was shutting off her Chevy Cruze, Melanie skeptically replied, "It certainly appears that way."

Nicki heard the skepticism and asked, "Is anything wrong, Melanie?"

Melanie shrugged before saying, "I have an odd feeling that something isn't quite right."

"Would you like to elaborate on what isn't quite right?" Nicki asked.

"The car in front of us could very well be Alicia Branney's car, but I have a strong feeling that it's not," Melanie replied.

Before Nicki could respond, the front door to the house opened and a thirty-three-year old Caucasian man who stood 6' 1" stepped out.

The man had light brown hair and had noticeable muscles, which Melanie absently stared at. He was dressed in blue jeans, a blue short-sleeve pullover shirt that had a collar and a pair of tennis shoes.

As the man was walking from the front door to Nicki's car, Nicki rolled down her window.

"Hi, I'm Nicki Foster, and I'm here to talk with Alicia Branney," she told him as he stepped up.

"And what is your business with Alicia, Ms. Foster?" the man asked before glancing at Lizzy.

Lizzy had taken off her seat belt and had scooted up to the edge of the seat.

"I'm the owner of 'Curious Goods' antiques and my employee was here earlier today," Nicki told the man.

"Nicki, I'm getting the strong feeling that he doesn't live here and that he's a police man," Melanie said slightly above a whisper as she dragged her gaze from staring at his muscles.

"Your feeling is correct, young lady," the man told Melanie. Melanie shot him a surprised look just before he showed Nicki his badge. "Ms. Foster, I'm Detective Lucas Gilbert. How long ago was your employee here?"

"Let's see," Nicki began while giving the situation some thought. "He returned to the store before 1:00 P.M., and it takes forty minutes to get here from the store. So I'm going to say that if he drove to the shop without stopping along the way, then he had to have left here about 12: 15 P.M."

Lucas looked at his watch before asking, "And what was his business here?"

The front door opened again and Detective Laila Gordon—a twenty-eight-year-old mulatto woman who stood 5' 7"—stepped out. Laila wore blue jeans, a red blouse and gray tennis shoes.

Nicki, Lizzy, Melanie and even Lucas glanced at Laila before Nicki replied, "Ms. Branney was selling her father's clock collection and he purchased it for two hundred dollars."

"Did something happen to Ms. Branney?" Melanie asked as Laila casually walked towards Nicki's car.

"I can't answer that," Lucas told Melanie.

"You don't need to answer actually," Melanie whispered to herself.

Lucas shot Melanie a curious look before asking Nicki, "Ms. Foster, how did your employee pay for the clock collection?"

"Everything bought for the store is paid for with a check," Nicki informed.

"Ooh," Melanie let out as if there was something wrong.

"Are you okay, young lady," Lucas asked Melanie as Laila stepped up behind him and stopped.

"I'm fine," Melanie claimed.

"Alright," Lucas said skeptically.

"And so you can stop calling me young lady, my name is Melanie," she continued.

"Okay," Lucas said with a slight nod. "Anyway, Ms. Foster, you don't, by chance, have the check information on you, would you?"

"I don't," Nicki replied. "The check was issued from my employee's expense account."

"I'll need you to call your employee and get that information," Lucas informed.

"Before I'll even consider doing that, I'll need to know why you want that information," Nicki told Lucas.

"How about if you don't give me that information, I will arrest you for interfering with a police investigation," Lucas bluffed.

"I don't have to give you that information without a warrant, Detective Gilbert, and I would be more than happy to give it to you without a warrant if you tell me why you need it," Nicki replied. "And before you attempt to bluff me again, I'm a license attorney… even though I hadn't work as an attorney since passing the bar."

When Lucas gave Nicki a curious look, Melanie supplied, "Detective Gilbert and his partner are here to ask Ms. Branney some questions about a crime that she might have been involved in, but Ms. Branney isn't here and he thinks he can track her by tracking your check."

Laila gave Melanie a focused stare as Lucas told Melanie, "That's a good guess, Melanie."

"I'm a good guesser, but I'm having difficulty while trying to guess to what crime she might have committed," Melanie replied.

"Yes, well, Melanie, I can't share information with you about an ongoing investigation," Lucas replied.

Melanie shrugged before saying, "It's only a matter of time before I guess what it is anyway."

Laila gave Melanie a curious look as Lucas turned his focus back to Nicki and said, "Anyway, Ms. Foster, I'm sorry for my bluff, but it is important for Detective Gordon and me to locate Ms. Branney."

Nicki nodded before saying, "My phone is in my purse and I'm going to get it out."

"Of course," Lucas said and then made a hand gesture for her to proceed.

Nicki took out her phone and as she was dialing Jason's cellphone number, Melanie heard James—in the back seat behind her— saying, "These detectives are looking for evidence to arrest my daughter because they think that she had helped me to commit suicide." When Melanie barely moved in response to what she had heard, James continued to say, "I know you can hear me. So it's useless to pretend that you don't." Melanie looked back at Lizzy before glancing at James with only moving her eyes. "Right. You're the only one who can see and hear me and you don't want to scare the girl."

When Melanie returned her focus back to Lucas and Laila, James continued to say, "I can still talk to you even if you are pretending that you can't hear me. I had inoperable brain cancer, and I wanted to die on my terms. Alicia didn't have anything to do with me committing suicide so she shouldn't be punished for what I did."

Jason's cellphone rang six times before going into voice mail.

"Jason, my employee, isn't answering his phone," Nicki informed while ending the call without leaving a voicemail. "Let me call the shop, which I should have done in the first place."

Lucas nodded with a slight grin.

As Nicki was making her second phone call, Melanie told Lucas, "James Miller was dying from brain cancer. He also wanted to die on his terms and not on the cancer's terms, so James killed himself."

"Melanie, what you had just said is what Ms. Branney had told the police three days ago," Lucas told her. "Now how do you know what was said? And don't tell me that you're a good guesser because no one is that good about guessing."

"I honestly didn't know that Ms. Branney had told you what I had just told you," Melanie replied. "And what I told you had come from James Miller. His spirit is here."

"His spirit is here?" Lucas echoed curiously.

Laila—while appearing intrigued—stepped closer to Nicki's car.

"Jason, it's Nicki," she said when Jason picked up. "I know I had called you, but hang on a minute."

Lucas glanced at Nicki for a moment before continuing to ask Melanie, "You're telling me that James Miller's spirit is among us?"

"He is," Melanie replied. "And I can see and hear him; also he knows that I can see and hear him."

"What are spirits?" Lizzy asked, confused by the term.

"I will explain it to you later, sweetie," Nicki told Lizzy.

Lucas waited out the short interruption before saying, "Strangely enough, I actually believe in spirits, and I also believe that some people can see and hear them." As Lucas pulled out a pocket-size notepad and a pen, he continued to say, "So, to give you the benefit of the doubt and assuming that you are in fact seeing and speaking with James Miller at the moment, find out from him why he thought he had cancer."

Melanie listened for a moment before saying, "Quoting him, obviously he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer."

"Yes, but who was the doctor who diagnosed him and when?" Lucas patiently asked.

Again Melanie listened to what James had to say before saying, "He was diagnosed two months ago by Dr. Stanley Barber." Melanie continued to tell Lucas the address to the building. As Lucas was writing down what Melanie had said, Melanie continued to say, "Mr. Miller is reiterating that his daughter had nothing to do with him dying on his terms."

"Yes, well, according to the autopsy report, Mr. Miller had no brain tumor, but he did have drugs in his system that would make him highly susceptive to suggestions," Lucas informed just before finishing up with what he was writing.

Melanie glanced back towards the empty seat next to Lizzy and then looked around for a brief moment before facing Lucas and saying, "Mr. Miller mumbled something that I didn't hear and disappeared."

"Most likely he is having a hard time believing that he was set up," Lucas said. "Anyway, Ms. Foster, I really need the information on the check."

Nicki nodded before hitting the speaker phone feature and questioning, "Jason, are you still there."

"I'm here," Jason replied.

"Okay, I need you to tell me the account information and check number to the check that you gave Alicia Branney," Nicki said.

"I didn't write her a check," Jason replied.

"What do you mean that you didn't write her a check?" Nicki demanded to know in a slightly annoyed tone.

"She had recently lost her driver's license and didn't have a way to cash a check," Jason informed. "So I cashed the check myself and gave her the cash."

"Jason, that's not how I operate my business, so you should have contacted me before doing that," Nicki replied.

"I didn't think that it was a big deal," Jason said.

"The IRS can now argue that the money you had withdrawn was not a business expense and I make it a rule to avoid such arguments," Nicki replied.

"I'm sorry, Nicki," Jason sincerely replied.

"I accept your apology, and for here on out, anything you buy for the store will be purchased by check only," Nicki replied.

"I will," Jason replied. "I promise."

"Okay, bye," Nicki told Jason.

"Bye," Jason said just before Nicki could end the call.

"I'm sorry, Detective Gilbert," Nicki told him just as she was ending the call. "Tracking my check won't help you find Ms. Branney."

"I heard," Lucas replied.

"I might be able to find her though," Melanie announced.

"How can you find her?" Lucas asked Melanie.

"Seeing spirits isn't the only thing I can see," Melanie replied. "I can also see things about a person when I touch an object that belongs to that person." Lucas pursed his lips and stared at Melanie as if he was accessing her worth. "Yes, I'm a psychic and I swear I'm legit."

"I wasn't wondering if you are a psychic," Lucas began. "In fact, late June of last year I was told by another psychic that I was going to meet a tall, young psychic woman—a teenager she thought—within a year, and here you are."

"Yes, here I am," Melanie replied as if she didn't know what else to say. "Oh and I am sixteen-years-old. In fact, I just turned sixteen and I'm tall."

Lucas nodded before asking, "So how tall are you?"

"Currently I'm 6' 0", but my mom thinks that I might have another year before I reach my full height," Melanie replied. "Anyway, I'm willing to help if you are willing to let me."

Lucas slightly grinned before saying, "The psychic from last year had predicted that I would regret not using you when I had the chance, and I would like to avoid any regrets. So if you three would like to come with me, I'll let Melanie do her thing."

"Melanie, you go," Nicki told her. "I'm going to explain what spirits and psychics are to Lizzy and then we'll come in."

"Alright," Melanie replied as she moved to open the door.

Once Melanie was out of the car she followed Lucas and Laila towards the house.

"My sister was the psychic who told Lucas that he would meet you," Laila shared in a slight mournful tone.

"Does your sister help you and Detective Gilbert with your hard to solve cases?" Melanie asked.

"My sister died within an hour after telling Detective Gilbert about you," Laila replied in a mournful tone.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Melanie sincerely replied. "How did she die…? Or is that too personal of a question to ask?"

"I don't mind you asking; although, since you're a psychic, I'm a bit surprise that you have to ask," Laila said.

"Information doesn't always come to me without a little coaxing," Melanie replied. "If you tell me some trivial facts about your sister, then the more important facts are more likely to come to me."

"Alright, let's see," Laila began as if to play along. "Olivia—my sister—was two years older than me and I'm twenty-eight. She loved animals. Um… she was an honor student and her favorite subject was science. She graduated high school at seventeen. Our parents couldn't afford to send her to college so she got a job and paid her own way…"

"The job she took was in the country and it was grooming and feeding horses," Melanie added after the information popped into her head. "A friend of your parents was the one to hire her."

"That's correct," Laila simply said. "Did you see anything else about my sister?"

"Yeah," Melanie began in a remorseful tone. "Your sister died from a bad heart."

"Yes, she was diagnosed with a bad heart and a rare blood type two years ago," Laila replied. "So finding a suitable heart for a heart transplant didn't happen fast enough and last year, her heart finally gave out. I also share Olivia's rare blood type and I'm scared that I also share Olivia's bad heart-gene."

"Olivia's bad heart condition wasn't from genetics," Melanie informed as the three were approaching the front door.

"Okay, well, the doctor told me and my family that Olivia was most likely born with her heart condition," Laila said.

"The doctor made a mistake if he told you that, because Olivia's heart condition was cause by an injury to her chest," Melanie replied.

"Injury?" Laila uttered while stopping just inches away from the front door and facing Melanie. "What injury?"

Melanie and Lucas stopped walking and faced Laila.

"Your sister was a veterinarian who treated horses as well as dogs and cats," Melanie began. "And she was kicked in the chest by a foal. That injury didn't crack her ribs or sternum, but it did cause a rhythm change in her heart. She never sought treatment for her injury and her heart condition stabilized for the most part on its own, but the incident did leave her with a weaker heart."

"Okay, I knew that Olivia treated horses as well as dogs and cats, but I didn't know that she was kicked in the chest by a foal," Laila replied.

Melanie thought for a moment before saying, "A man who was as tall as Olivia and had gray hair and beard was with her when she was kicked. He tried to get her to go to the hospital, but Olivia didn't see it to be necessary."

"Yes, well, as long as she could get up afterwards, she wouldn't have seen it necessary to see a doctor," Laila replied.

"We are about ready to walk into the house, so, Melanie, I want you focus on what you're here for," Lucas told her.

"Of course," Melanie said with a polite grin.

Lucas took the few steps to the front door, opened it and then gestured for Melanie and Laila to enter before him.

Melanie gestured towards the door while saying, "When it comes to strange houses, I get a lot of my visions from doorknobs, so I would like to take hold of the doorknob."

Lucas moved away from the door while gesturing and saying, "The door's all yours."

Melanie grinned slightly before stepping up and taking hold of the doorknob and then falling into a trance.

Melanie's trance lasted a few seconds and when she glanced at Lucas, Lucas said, "You saw something. What did you see?"

"Something that appears trivial, but as a rule, I normally don't get trivial visions," Melanie replied.

"Okay, well, what did you see," Lucas asked.

"An elderly lady named Jane Reece—while dressed in winter clothes—knocked on the door and introduced herself to Ms. Branney, and Ms. Branney invited her in after the introductions," Melanie informed.

"Okay, well, let's go inside and see what you can see in there," Lucas strongly suggested.

"Alright," Melanie said before stepping into the anteroom from the front door.

Laila followed Melanie in and when Lucas stepped in, he closed the door after them.

The anteroom was long and narrow. Stairs that led to the second floor was immediately to the left and a doorway (without a door) that led into the living room was immediately to the right. The kitchen was several steps from the front door.

Melanie stopped in front of the doorway of the living room and looked in.

The living room had a couch, two armchairs that matched the couch, a coffee table, two end-tables (each with a lamp) and an entertainment center. On the entertainment center were a TV, a DVD player, a stereo, a few CDs and a few DVDs.

When Melanie stared into the living room for a few seconds, Lucas told her, "Don't be shy. Go in there and do your thing."

"Won't I be compromising a crime scene if I start picking things up?" Melanie questioned while facing Lucas.

"This place isn't a crime scene," Lucas informed. "Detective Gordon and I came by to invite Ms. Branney to the police station so we could ask her a few questions. She wasn't here though and her front door was standing wide open." Lucas gestured for her to enter. "So go and do what you do."

Melanie nodded before walking directly to the couch and sitting down on the closest end. Almost immediately Melanie scooted to the middle of the couch and then scooted again to the far side of the couch.

"Nothing from the couch," Melanie announced before standing and stepping over to the closest armchair to her.

As soon as Melanie sat down, she once again fell into a trance that lasted several seconds.

"What did you see this time?" Lucas asked.

Melanie took a breath before saying, "Ms. Reece sat where I'm sitting now and Ms. Branney sat in the other chair. Ms. Reece had lived here thirty years ago before she was evicted by the bank, and at first they were discussing that, but then Ms. Reece asked about something in the basement that I couldn't make out. Like me, Ms. Branney didn't know what Ms. Reece was referring to, but Ms. Reece was certain that it was still there, so she offered to show it to Ms. Branney. Ms. Branney agreed, and the two walking away was the last of this vision."

"It sounds as if the next segment of your vision is downstairs," Laila said.

"I was thinking the same thing," Melanie replied.

"Before you head downstairs can you please do what you do to find Ms. Branney?" Lucas requested. "After all that is why you were brought in."

"I actually can't control what I see and when I see it," Melanie replied. "And although the visions that I am getting seem trivial, I normally don't get trivial visions as a rule."

"Alright," Lucas replied in a giving in tone. "Let's go to the basement and find out what's important about your visions of Ms. Reece."

"Alright," Melanie replied while standing. "Which way is it to the basement?"

"Follow me," Lucas said before leading the way.

Melanie followed Lucas while Laila followed Melanie.

Once in the basement, Melanie randomly picked up items or placed her hand on something in attempt to spark a vision.

After a few minutes of failing to spark a vision, Melanie sighed and leaned back against the wall—a wall that walled off the backside of the basement steps. She had opened her mouth to say something, but when her hands touched the wall, she once again fell into a trance.

The trance lasted several seconds and when she came out of it, Lucas said, "I see that you finally got a vision. What did you see?"

"There's a subbasement in this house," Melanie informed before knocking on the wall that she was leaning against and creating a hollow sound, "and this is the door."

"That certainly did sound hollow," Lucas replied as he went to examine the wall.

Melanie moved to the side slightly before gesturing to the right side of the wall panel, "Ms. Reece took off her necklace and waved it around here to open the door. So I'm thinking that her necklace is a strong magnet and the inside latch is made of iron… or vice versa."

"I have heard of magnetic locks before, but not one that works like that," Laila said as Lucas examined the wall panel seams. "Of course, I'm not saying that those types of locks don't exist."

"I smell something potentially toxic behind this wall," Lucas informed while looking around the room.

Melanie sniffed the air before saying, "I don't smell anything."

"And that's one of many reasons why you won't be mentioned in my report," Lucas replied before seeing a bowling ball.

"Okay," Melanie replied in a slightly confused tone.

Lucas went and grabbed the bowling ball, and as he was coming back with it he told Melanie and Laila to move aside.

As soon as Melanie and Laila were out of the way, Lucas—with all of his might—threw the ball into the center of the wall panel. The ball made a partial hole in the wall before dropping to the ground.

"I'm free," Melanie heard a woman say before seeing a ghostly woman appearing near the hole in the wall. The ghost's appearance shifted quickly back and forth between looking like Alicia Branney and Jane Reece. "I wonder if I could haunt that witch who stole my body and left me to die."

"There's definitely a subbasement," Lucas said as he peered into the hole. "I can see a set of stairs that leads down."

Because of her past habit of ignoring ghosts, Melanie slightly hesitated to look into the ghost's face and say, "And I'm seeing a ghost with an identity crises."

"Wait, you can see me?" the ghost asked and shifted twice during her question.

"Yes, I can see you," Melanie told the ghost. "Who were you?"

"I am Alicia Branney," the ghost replied as her appearance shifted to look like Alicia. "A witch—although at the time I didn't know that she was a witch—had led me down into a secret subbasement, cast a spell to swap bodies with me, shackled me to the wall and then left me down in the subbasement to die. And I did die. I starved to death days later, but I don't know how long ago that was."

"What was the last date that you can remember?" Melanie asked as Alicia's appearance shifted again to look like Jane.

"I don't know what the date was, but the last day I could vividly remember was the day when that witch had knocked on my door, and it was the second Tuesday of January," Alicia said.

Melanie told Alicia the date and before Melanie or Alicia could say anything else, Lucas asked, "Melanie, what's going on?"

"Jane Reece's remains are at the bottom of the subbasement and they have been down there since the second week of January," Melanie informed as Alicia began to stabilize on her true appearance.

"Jane Reece—yes. That was what she said her name was," Alicia uttered as if to herself

"Okay, it's time for this wall to come down," Lucas said at the same time that Alicia was talking.

"Oh, and it might be Jane's remains down below, but I'm Alicia," she made a point to tell Melanie.

Melanie nodded and then jumped slightly when Lucas rammed his foot as hard as he could into the wall near the hole.

The sound of the wood splitting was Lucas's only results of his first attempt to break through.

Lucas and Laila struck the wall several additional times with their feet, and with each strike, the wooden wall cracked or splintered, and after five minutes of trying to bust through, a hole big enough for Lucas to crawl through was formed.

"Melanie. Detective Gordon and I are going to investigate, but you are to wait here," Lucas told her.

"You may need my abilities down there," Melanie pointed out.

"I doubt I'll need a psychic to examine Jane Reece's remains," Lucas replied.

"Sorcery was used, Detective Gilbert," Melanie quickly shared.

"Sorcery?" Laila echoed as if Melanie had lost her mind. "Melanie, sorcery isn't real."

"I'm fine with you believing that, Detective Gordon, but if you and Detective Gilbert continue to believe that, neither of you are going to get any closer at knowing where Alicia Branney is."

"I'll play along," Lucas replied. "What does sorcery have to do with this?"

"Jane Reece practiced sorcery on Alicia Branney and swap bodies with her," Melanie informed. "It may be Jane Reece's corpse that you will find in the subbasement, but it was Alicia Branney who died, and I know this because Alicia Branney's spirit is among us."

"The spirit could be lying to you or is confused," Laila was the one to say.

"She's not lying to me nor is she confused, Detective Gordon," Melanie replied. "I would sense it if she was."

"Okay, well, regardless to what the truth is, I want you to remain here for right now, Melanie," Lucas replied. "Detective Gordon and I are going down into the subbasement, and if I see something that I think requires your insight, I will call you down."

"Okay," Melanie agreed.

Melanie watched as Lucas and Laila stepped through the hole in the wall and then watched as Lucas turned his attention to the backside of the wall that he had stepped through.

"Okay, Melanie, you win," Lucas announced as Laila turned her attention to the wall as well. "I'll need your insight on this side of the wall."

"Coming," Melanie said before stepping through the hole.

Once Melanie was on the other side of the hole, Lucas gestured towards the wall and asked, "Are you able to tell me anything about these symbols?"

"I'll find out," Melanie said before placing her hands on the wall and once again falling into a trance.

When Melanie came out of her trance a few seconds later, Lucas asked, "What did you see this time."

"The symbols make up a locking spell, and you had broken the spell when you smashed a hole in the wall," Melanie replied before pushing the wall forward.

The wall hinged on the right and it swung open with slight resistance.

"So the lock was magical and not magnetic," Laila replied.

"Yes, well, until I see what we're dealing with down below, I still want you to stay up here for now, Melanie," Lucas told her.

"Alright," Melanie replied before watching Lucas and Laila descend the stairs.

Once Lucas and Laila were out of sight, Melanie turned and gazed over the basement.

"Alicia? Are you still around?" Melanie called out. After gazing around for another few seconds, she continued to say, "I guess not."

Melanie went to look around at the keepsakes in the basement. A set of twelve garden gnomes had caught her eye and she stepped over to them.

Each gnome was in a different pose and Melanie held her right hand over one of the gnomes by a few inches before picking it up.

"Melanie," Alicia called while appearing behind her.

Melanie slightly jumped before facing Alicia and saying, "Okay, I might be a psychic, but I can't psychically see when a ghost appears directly behind me."

"Sorry," Alicia replied. "I just wanted to ask you about my dad. Also there are a woman and a girl entering the house."

"The woman and the girl are with us," Melanie replied.

"And what about my dad?" Alicia asked.

"Five days ago, your dad was tricked into committing suicide," Melanie replied remorsefully.

"What do you mean that he was tricked?" Alicia quickly demanded to know.

Before Melanie could answer, she heard Nicki hollering out for her and the two detectives.

"I'll tell you everything, Alicia, soon after I let Nicki know where we are," Melanie replied.

Once Alicia nodded in agreement, Melanie moved to the bottom of the steps and hollered out for Nicki.

When Melanie was certain that Nicki and Lizzy had heard her, she rejoined Alicia, took a breath and explained everything to her.

Nicki and Lizzy joined Melanie before Melanie could tell Alicia everything she knew and once Melanie was done, she whispered into Nicki's ear about what happened to Alicia.

Alicia disappeared from sight again while Melanie was talking to Nicki.


	10. A New Beginning Part 5

**A New Beginning Part 5**

Lucas and Laila were in the subbasement for only ten minutes before they returned to the basement.

When Melanie saw them returning, she asked, "Do you need me to go down there and see what I could see with my visions?"

"No, and I'm declaring what is downstairs a crime scene," Lucas informed. "I had already contacted forensics and they will be here shortly. So, I'll need everyone to exit the house."

"So what all did you find down there?" Melanie asked as she followed Nicki and Lizzy to the stairs. Lucas and Laila followed her.

"Sorry, Melanie, I can't tell you anything about what was found downstairs, even if you were the one who inadvertently brought it to my attention," Lucas replied. "However, Ms. Foster, I think you could help with something."

"If I can," Nicki replied as she followed Lizzy up the steps. "What is it?"

"Since you are an antique dealer, I was hoping that you have heard of 'Lewis Vendredi's Antiques.'" Lucas replied.

"Lewis Vendredi is dead, so he couldn't have anything to do with what happened in the subbasement," Melanie replied before Nicki could answer.

"Melanie, let me answer this," Nicki strongly requested.

"I'm just saying," Melanie replied.

"I take it that you both have heard of Lewis Vendredi," Lucas made note of.

"Yes," Nicki replied. "Lewis Vendredi is my mom's uncle. He died thirty-three years ago, and my mom and her cousin Ryan inherited the store, at which they had renamed the store 'Curious Goods.'"

"The same store that you currently own," Lucas supplied.

"Correct," Nicki replied.

"Okay, well, your great-uncle's name is the first name on a list of thirteen names," Lucas replied. "Jane Reece's body was found in the subbasement and her name was on that list as well. You wouldn't by chance know what this list of names was for, would you?"

"I might, but I won't say in front of my daughter," Nicki replied.

"Okay, once we get outside, your daughter can return to the car and then you can tell me what you know," Lucas said.

"That we can do," Nicki replied.

Minutes later, Lizzy continued to the car as everyone else remained near the front door.

Once Lizzy retook the backseat and the door was shut, Lucas asked Nicki, "Okay, Ms. Foster, what can you tell me about your uncle… or great-uncle?"

"My Great-Uncle Lewis was a coven leader to a witch's coven and most likely those other people on that list were coven members," Nicki replied.

"Of course he was," Lucas replied in a dreading tone. "Ten years on the force, I can honestly say that this case is the weirdest one yet."

"I just had a terrible thought," Melanie announced.

"What?" Nicki was the one to ask.

"What if Jane Reece isn't the only witch on that list who is swapping bodies," Melanie replied.

"That is a terrible thought," Nicki agreed.

"Evidence that occult rituals had been practiced here is evident in the subbasement, but I don't believe in the supernatural power of witches or even the occults," Lucas began. "Thus, I don't believe that anyone had been body swapped."

"You need to start, Detective Gilbert; otherwise you won't be able to find the true culprit behind James's death, which is Jane Reece," Melanie replied. "Jane Reece has taken over Alicia Branney's body, and to find her you'll need to switch your focus on learning Jane's past hangouts and haunts instead of Alicia's hangouts and haunts."

"I will consider doing that," Lucas sincerely said. "Anyway, Ms. Foster, you and Melanie… and your daughter should leave before the others get here."

"Take care, Detective Gilbert; Detective Gordon," Nicki told them.

"Take care, Ms. Foster; Melanie," Lucas and Laila replied.

"Take care," Melanie echoed before she and Nicki could move towards the car.

At 'Curious Goods', Jason—while alone in the store—was reading a supernatural story on an E-Reader at the display-case/counter when the door opened and Lloyd (Micki's ex-fiancé) stepped in.

Jason looked up from his reading when he heard the door opening and then watched Lloyd—a man who stood 6' 2"—as he stopped a few steps from the door and looked around.

"Welcome to 'Curious Goods. I'm Jason. How can I help you?"

"For the most part, Jason, this place hasn't changed in thirty-two years," Lloyd said as he continued to the display-case/counter.

"I'm only twenty-two, so I will have to take your word for that," Jason replied. "Anyway, is there anything specific that brought you in?"

"Does Michelle Foster still own the store?" Lloyd asked.

"Michelle?" Jason questioned before it dawned on him. "Oh, you mean Micki."

"Yes; Micki," Lloyd said aloud as if to himself. "I forgot about her nickname. Anyway, is she here? I'm here to see her and I'm an old friend of hers."

"I'm sorry, but Micki was killed in an auto-accident seven years ago," Jason replied.

"Oh, God. How tragic," Lloyd said remorsefully. "So who owns the store now?"

"Micki's daughter—Nicki," Jason replied.

"I guess it's not surprising that Micki got married, settled down and had kids… or at least a daughter anyway."

"The daughter was all she had," Jason replied. "I had been told that Micki had never married and Nicki's father was actually engaged to Micki once upon a time, but Micki and Nicki's father split not too long after Micki took ownership to the store."

Lloyd gave Jason a curious look before asking, "Would Nicki be about thirty-two years old?"

"That's a good guess, but she won't really be thirty-two for another two months," Jason replied.

Lloyd pondered what was said for a moment before asking, "Is Nicki here by chance?"

"She ran an errand and most likely she won't be back for another thirty minutes," Jason replied.

Lloyd looked at his watch while saying, "I would like to meet Micki's daughter, so I'll be back."

"Okay," Jason replied. "Should I tell her to expect you?"

"Let her know that a friend of her mom's will be by," Lloyd replied before turning and walking away.

"Sir, I didn't get your name," Jason told Lloyd as he was walking away.

"I didn't give it and I'm not going to," Lloyd replied.

"Okay," Jason replied before watching Lloyd leave the store. He then turned his attention back to his E-Reader.

Jason was able to read for about thirty-minutes more of his supernatural EBook before Miles (a twenty-three-year-old man) and Lori (a twenty-three-year-old woman) entered the store.

"Welcome to 'Curious Goods. I'm Jason. How can I help you?" he said while putting down his E-Reader.

"Hi, my bride and I are new to Chicago and we saw your store 'Curious Goods' and we got curious to what all you sell here, so we came in," Miles said.

"Is it okay that we look around?" Lori asked.

"Sure, look all you want, and if you see anything you like, just let me know," Jason replied.

"We will," Lori said before she and Miles went to browse.

Ten minutes later, Lori and Miles were respectively walking towards the door with their purchases when Lizzy, Nicki and Melanie were respectively walking in. Miles lightly bumped Melanie as they were walking past one another.

"Sorry," Miles told Melanie, but Melanie was in a trance and didn't appear to have heard. "Miss? Miss? Are you okay?"

Nicki and Lori had heard Miles as he was trying to get Melanie's attention, and as Nicki and Lori were joining Melanie and Miles, Melanie came out of her trance and looked at Miles.

"Miss, are you okay?" Miles asked again when Melanie moved.

"I'm fine," Melanie claimed as Lizzy joined Nicki and Melanie. Jason stepped closer as well. "You, on the other hand, are being confused for someone else—someone with an unworthy reputation for the type of job that you are seeking—and that is why you didn't get the job this morning."

"You didn't get the job?" Lori asked Miles.

"I was told that they were still interviewing others and that she would contact me later with her decision," Miles replied. "But I nailed that interview."

"Until you straighten out the confusion between you and your brother, it won't matter how many job interviews you nail."

"Miles doesn't have a brother," Lori replied.

"Actually, I do," Miles admitted. "I have an identical twin brother and I hadn't told you about him because he and I were five when we last saw each other. In fact, I can't even remember his name, and as far as I knew, he was dead."

"He's not dead, but he is a stripper down at the 'More Chipper than Dale' club," Melanie replied.

"And how do you know this?" Miles asked.

"I'm a psychic and when we bumped into one another, I had a vision of… of Mrs. Keen telling you over the phone that you didn't get the job because of your nighttime activities at the 'More Chipper than Dale' club," Melanie replied. "You will get that phone call sometime this evening, unless you do something to change it since I had forewarned you. Also, if I had not forewarned you, you would have ended up at the 'More Chipper than Dale' club tonight to see what Mrs. Keen was referring to, but since I have forewarned you, I don't know if you will end up there or not."

"Oh, I will be going there, actually; as soon as I figure out where it's at," Miles assured Melanie.

"Anyway, that's all I saw," Melanie replied.

"Do you read Tarot cards?" Lori asked Melanie in a hopeful tone.

"I don't know anything about them," Melanie replied.

"I was hoping that you did," Lori replied. "I mean I don't need my cards read right now. I had a reading done before Miles and I went on our honeymoon, but eventually I will need them read again."

"Can't you go back to the last person who read your cards?" Melanie asked.

"She lives in Freeport," Lori replied. "Freeport is where Miles and I are from, and last weekend, when our honeymoon ended, we moved here."

"Okay, well, welcome to Chicago," Melanie replied as if she didn't know what else to say.

"Yes, welcome," Nicki added. "This is a lovely city with lots to do."

"We've been noticing," Miles sincerely said. "And believe it or not, Sapphire—the woman who Lori had gone to for her Tarot card reading—had advised us to move here."

"Well, she didn't exactly tell us to move here," Lori replied. "She told you that you should literally follow your dreams and this city is what you have been dreaming about."

"You've been dreaming about this city?" Melanie questioned.

"Not every night, but quite often," Miles replied.

"You two do realize that identical twins will on occasion share supernatural connection," Melanie informed.

"In what way?" Lori was the one to ask.

"Well, when one twin burns his or her hand, the other twin—even though miles apart—could also feel the pain of the burn," Melanie said. "So, Miles, those dreams that you have been having about this city could have been coming from your twin brother."

"I never considered that," Miles admitted. "But even if I had considered it, we would have still moved here. Anyway, it was nice chatting with all of you. Happy shopping."

"I'm actually the owner of the store," Nicki shared before introducing herself, Melanie and Lizzy to them.

Once the introductions were over, Miles and Lori said, "Goodbye," and left the store.

As the door was closing behind Miles and Lori, Nicki told Melanie that her workday was done and for her to go home.

Melanie nodded before turning and leaving.

As Nicki, Lizzy and Jason moved deeper into the store, Jason said, "Oh, Nicki, I almost forgot. An old friend of your mom's came by while asking about your mom. I told him that your mom had died seven years ago and that you had inherited the store. When I mentioned you, he became eager to meet you, and said that he will be back later."

"Who was he?" Nicki asked.

"I asked, but he wouldn't tell me his name," Jason replied.

"Hmm, that could be anyone from my mom's past," Nicki replied. "Oh well, I guess I'll find out when he comes back."

"So what happen with Alicia Branney?" Jason asked.

"Lizzy, go watch TV on the couch," Nicki told her while gesturing towards the lounging area.

"Okay," Lizzy said before walking towards the lounging area.

Nicki waited a few seconds before whispering what had happened at Alicia's house.

After Nicki told Jason what she knew, she and Jason fell back into their routine of managing the store.

After Melanie had left the shop, instead of going home, she walked the extra half mile to Andrea (Andi) Voss's two-story house.

Within seconds after Melanie rang the doorbell, Christopher (Chris)—Andi's dad—answered it. Chris stood 5' 10.5".

"Is Andi here, Mr. Voss?" Melanie asked.

"She is; she's working on her sculpture down in the basement," Chris replied before backing up and giving Melanie some room to enter. "And it's fine if you would like to join her in the basement."

"I would," Melanie replied with a slight grin before entering.

Melanie said 'hi' to Wendy (Andi's mom) during the walk to the basement door.

As Melanie was reaching the basement, she called out, "Knock-knock."

"Hey, Mel, I called your house this morning and your mom said that you took a job at 'Curious Goods,'" Andi said as she turned away from her unfinished clay sculpture of a person's bust. The bust had very little facial features, and five computer printouts of a teenage boy at different angles were propped up so they can be easily seen.

Andi had turned sixteen on April 28th, and like her mom, she stood 5' 8".

As Melanie stepped up to Andi and her unfinished sculpture, she replied, "I did take a job there."

"I thought you had something against that store," Andi pointed out.

"I did, but I met the store owner last night," Melanie replied. "We learned a little bit about each other and I learned the history of 'Curious Goods.' So I'm okay with going into the store now."

"Good," Andi replied in a satisfactory tone.

Melanie gestured towards the printouts of the teenager while asking, "Is the boy someone you know?"

Andi took a breath before saying, "The images are of Justin."

"Justin who?" Andi replied.

"My brother Justin," Andi said.

"Andi, your brother died when he was nine," Melanie pointed out.

"I know when my brother died; I was there," Andi quickly snapped.

"Okay, well, these pictures are from someone older than Justin," Melanie continued.

"I ran Justin's image through an aging-progression software and these pictures are what Justin would have looked like today if he wasn't killed," Andi replied.

"And now you are in process of sculpturing a bust of Justin if Justin was thirteen," Melanie verbally took note of.

"Fourteen," Andi corrected. "Today would've been his fourteenth birthday."

"Crap, I forgot," Melanie uttered as if to herself. "You went to the cemetery today and I was supposed to have gone with you."

"My parents and I didn't go today," Andi replied. "My mom couldn't get the day off, and that's why I was calling you this morning—to tell you that the trip to the cemetery was postponed until this Saturday. However, I wanted to do something today to honor my brother, and that is why I'm making a bust of him. Oh and it's fine if you can't go this Saturday with me."

"I might be able to go," Melanie replied. "Nicki—my boss—haven't given me a work schedule yet. Anyway, do your parents know what you are sculpturing down here?"

"No, and it doesn't matter if they did," Andi replied.

"It kind of does," Melanie countered.

"Why would it matter?" Andi quickly asked.

"It's been four years and… and ten days since Justin's accident and you're acting as if it just happened and you're being blame for it," Melanie pointed out.

"Yes, well, he certainly thinks that it's my fault," Andi snapped.

"Who thinks that?" Melanie quickly asked.

"No one," Andi quickly said. "Forget that I said anything."

"No, I won't forget it, Andi," Melanie told her while taking a stand. "Tell me what is going on. Who is blaming you for Justin's death?"

Andi pursed her lips for a moment before saying, "Justin is blaming me, okay. I dream of him a lot—more so for the past few nights. And last night, once I have fallen asleep, I had relived the day when Justin died."

"Andi, Justin isn't here to blame you," Melanie informed.

"His spirit is," Andi replied.

"Andi, I'm fairly certain that you know this, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm a psychic." No surprise reaction came across Andi's face as Melanie continued to say, "Not only do I get the occasional visions from time to time, I can also see, hear and feel the presence of earthbound spirits, and you and your family aren't being haunted by your brother or any other spirits."

"But I'm having dreams about Justin," Andi replied.

"I'm not doubting that you're dreaming about your brother, but Justin or another spirit isn't the one who is giving you your dreams," Melanie replied.

"Then what is?" Andi replied.

"Your mom had told me that you actually blame yourself, so most likely your own guilt is causing you to have these dreams," Melanie replied.

"Okay, fine, I do blame myself," Andi replied. "But why am I getting these terrible dreams now after four years?"

"I don't know," Melanie replied with a shrug.

"So much for the supernatural power of dreamcatchers," Andi uttered.

"What do you mean?" Melanie replied.

"What I mean is that the dreamcatcher that that peddler sold me last Sunday isn't working," Andi replied. "In fact, my bad dreams have gotten worse since I bought it."

"Andi, show me your dreamcatcher," Melanie insisted.

"Okay, but it's just a dreamcatcher," Andi replied before putting down her tools.

"It might not be just a dreamcatcher," Melanie said. When Andi walked towards the stairs, she followed. "That dreamcatcher could be cursed."

"What do you mean it could be cursed?" Andi asked before moving up the steps.

"There are ordinary objects that have been cursed by the devil out in the world, among unsuspecting people and your dreamcatcher could be one of them," Melanie informed.

Andi laughed before saying, "You're watching too many horror movies, Melanie."

"I might watch a lot of horror movies, but cursed objects are out there and there's a way to determine if an object is in fact cursed," Melanie informed.

"How?" Andi asked.

"Cursed objects can't be destroyed," Melanie replied as they were reaching the top of the steps.

"So you want me to tear up my dreamcatcher?" Andi questioned as she continued towards the steps that led to the second floor.

"Yes, or try to anyway," Melanie replied. "If it's cursed, I'll take it where it belongs and if it's not cursed, I'll buy you another one… a better one."

"And where does it belong if it's cursed?" Andi asked.

"In hell, but I'll settle with it being locked away with the others," Melanie replied.

"You know where cursed items are kept?" Andi asked.

Melanie considered her answer before saying, "I know the person who tracks down cursed objects, acquires them and places them where they can't do any harm."

"And who's that?" Andi asked.

"I prefer not to say," Melanie said.

"Why not?" Andi asked.

"I only know who the person is because I'm a psychic, and I would be violating this person's secret—a secret that needs to remain a secret—if I tell you who this person is," Melanie replied.

"Okay, okay," Andi replied. "I suppose that's a good thing that you don't spread the knowledge of people's secret. Not that I have any secrets for you to spread around."

"Other than your secret crush on Tyler Dobbs," Melanie playfully said.

"I had a feeling that you knew about that," Andi replied.

"I knew," Melanie said.

"Do you know how he feels about me?" Andi asked.

"Andi, Tyler is in love with Rhonda and Rhonda is in love with him," Melanie shared. "Either of them don't even consider who else that they could date. So as far as I can see, he will only see you… and any other woman solely as a friend."

"I assumed that was the case, but a girl can still dream," Andi replied.

"True," Melanie replied with a grin.

Melanie and Andi were quiet during the remaining time that it took for them to enter Andi's room.

Andi pointed to the dreamcatcher over the head of her bed after entering and said, "There it is. Should I see if I can destroy it?" When Melanie didn't answer, Andi turned towards her and saw that she was in a trance. She then waited the few seconds that it took for Melanie to naturally come out of her vision. "You know in grade school, some of the kids thought that you were epileptic."

"I actually knew that," Melanie replied with a slight grin. "I kept expecting you to ask me about it, but you never did."

"I almost did once, but before I had the chance to ask you, you showed me that you were actually having psychic visions," Andi shared.

"How did I show you?" Melanie asked.

"I thought I had seen you have a seizure in our classroom one day, so I began watching you, in case you would get another seizure and would need help," Andi began. "You became sad after I saw what I did though, and then Mr. Holler came in a short time later and told everyone about Anthony's tragic death. You knew that Anthony had died just before the class was told."

"I did," Melanie admitted. "I had a vision of Mr. Holler coming in and telling us."

"That was when I figured out that you were a psychic," Andi informed. "Anyway, what did you see when you first stepped in?"

"What I saw looked to be more of a dream than a vision," Melanie replied.

"Okay, but what did you see?" Andi asked.

"I saw your spirit leave your body as you slept," Melanie began. "You panicked for being asleep. You dashed out of the room, but then you dashed back in a short time later. You, as a spirit, put on invisible shoes—or at least that was what it looked like to me—and then you dashed out again. That was when I came out of my vision."

"The night Justin had died, I had fallen asleep when I wasn't meaning to," Andi replied. "My eyes were hurting me and—after taking off my shoes—I lay down on Aunt Lucy's bed to rest my eyes and had fallen asleep. When I woke up, Aunt Lucy and Justin were gone from the house. I thought Aunt Lucy had taken Justin to get some ice-cream. Just before I fell asleep, she did say that she would take us to 'Dairy Queen' for some ice-cream. 'Dairy Queen was just a walk away from my aunt's house, so I rushed to get my shoes on again and then I rushed to catch up with them. I got close enough to see them before they could reach 'Dairy Queen.'"

Tears filled Andi's eyes as she continued to say, "They were crossing the street and I yelled out to them. Aunt Lucy didn't hear me yelling, so she had continued to the sidewalk, but Justin heard me. He stopped in the middle of the road and turned to face me…"

When Andi became too emotional to continue, Melanie supplied, "Andi, I heard how the driver of the car was making a quick right turn to beat the oncoming traffic and didn't see your brother in time to even stop."

Andi nodded before saying, "If I had not called out to Justin and Aunt Lucy, Justin would not have been on the crosswalk and he would not have gotten hit by that car."

"The driver is to blame of what happen; not you," Melanie quickly said. "The driver should've made sure that the crosswalk was clear before he made his right turn."

"For the last five nights I've been reliving the day when Justin was hit by the car as soon as I drift off to sleep," Andi began. "So something is blaming me, Mel."

"You're blaming yourself, is who's blaming you," Melanie replied. "There's something in this room; something new that is amplifying your guilt. I can sense it."

"Should I see if I can destroy the dreamcatcher?" Andi asked.

"What I'm sensing isn't coming from the dreamcatcher. So I believe the dreamcatcher is a normal dreamcatcher," Melanie replied before gesturing towards the dresser. "Do you have something new inside your dresser that you had also gotten last Sunday? Around your dresser is where I'm sensing that something is off."

"No, I don't have anything new," Andi replied.

"Okay…" Melanie was only able to get out.

"Oh, wait," Andi replied as if something had dawned on her. "When I purchased the dreamcatcher, the peddler wanted eight dollars for it, but I didn't have anything less than a ten dollar bill. So I gave him a ten dollar bill, but he didn't have any single dollars to give me, so he gave me my change in coins. I took the coins without looking at them and once I got home, I saw that one of the coins he gave me was a token and not a coin, and that token is in my dresser."

"Andi, show me the token," Melanie requested.

"Sure," Andi replied before moving towards the dresser. Melanie watched as Andi went into the dresser and pulled out a coin, and then held it up for Melanie to see. "Here it is."

Melanie slightly hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to hold out her hand and—in an uneasy voice—requesting, "Drop it in my hand."

"You're acting as if you want me to drop a disgusting bug in your hand," Andi pointed out without giving Melanie the coin.

"I can feel that coin from here, and I know already that it's going to cause me to have a vision," Melanie replied as she continued to hold out her hand. "And I'm always a bit wary when I know I'm about to get a vision."

"Fair enough," Andi replied before slowly dropping the coin into Melanie's hand.

Once the coin had touched Melanie's palm, Melanie fell into a trance, and while in the trance, her subconscious was pulled into a market area within an ancient city that time had long erased from history.

As Melanie was in her vision, she saw the movement of a collection of a hundred coins—which included the coin that she was holding—as the collection passed from person to person and then from a person to a demigod.

Once the demigod got his hands on the collection, he imbued each coin with a trait that influenced a person's morals, emotions, personalities and behaviors, and the coin that Melanie was currently holding amplified compunction.

As the vision continued, Melanie saw that the imbued coins circulated among mortals for decades before they were slowly removed from circulation by either one of the Olympians or by one of the Olympians' champions. The coins were then buried within one of the hollows of the Underworld and they had remained buried for more than two millenniums before being dug up recently by an invisible figure.

Melanie's vision lasted for five minutes and Andi was gently calling her name when Melanie came out of her trance. She then looked around as if to get her bearings.

"Mel," Andi began as Melanie was looking around. "You had me worried. I thought you had slipped into some kind of a standing coma. You had been in a trance for at least five minutes." When Melanie tightly squeezed her eyes closed, Andi questioned, "Mel… Melanie, what's wrong?"

"I saw this coin's entire history, Andi," Melanie replied in a small voice as she opened her eyes and looked at her.

"You saw its entire history in only five minutes?" Andi questioned dubiously.

Melanie pursed her lips before sharing, "Today isn't the first time that I have had a vision with the subject of my vision spanning days within seconds, but today is the first time that the subject of my vision spanned years. No; not years, centuries. Andi, I watched ancient cities rise and fall and disappear as if they had never existed, and I watched this without the capability of thought or feeling. I mean I was there, but I was only there as a witness. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I couldn't even think."

"You're okay now though, right?" Andi questioned.

Melanie slightly hesitated before nodding and saying, "I believe so. The coin showed me everything that it could show me, so I'd be surprise if I get another vision from this coin."

"Okay," Andi replied with a nod. "Is it the coin that is causing me to dream of the day when Justin died?"

"It is," Melanie replied. "It's what is amplifying your guilt. In fact, throughout its history it had caused fifteen people to commit suicide and it had driven several more people down a dark path."

"Then you need to take that coin to that person you know who handles cursed objects," Andi said quickly.

"I agree," Melanie replied. "And once I take the coin where it belongs, I might need to come back and spend the night with you."

"Why?" Andi asked in a curious tone.

"Because the effects of the coin might take a while for it to go away, so you shouldn't be left alone until the effects are completely gone," Melanie explained.

"Okay, well, I won't exactly be alone," Andi replied. "My parents will be with me."

"Houston's parents were home when he committed suicide, so your parents being home doesn't mean much," Melanie replied.

"Yes, well, I'm not suicidal, Mel. My only desire right now is to finish that bust of Justin." When Melanie pursed her lips and stared at Andi in an uncertain manner, Andi continued to say, "But if it will ease your mind, I will ask my mom if you can stay the night."

"It will ease my mind," Melanie replied.

"Alright," Andi replied in an appeasing tone. "Go take the coin where it won't do any harm and I'll go talk to my parents."

"Okay, I'll be back," Melanie said as she was putting the coin into her right front pocket.

"Shouldn't you talk with your parents too?" Andi asked before Melanie could walk away.

Melanie looked at her watch before saying, "I'll talk to them, but I'm certain that I'll be able to spend the night."

"Alright," Andi replied.

"I'll be back," Melanie said again while turning and walking away.

"I'll see you when you get back," Andi said just before Melanie could leave the room.


	11. A New Beginning Part 6

**A New Beginning Part 6**

After leaving Andi's house and was heading back towards 'Curious Goods', Melanie looked around. When Melanie was certain that no one was paying any attention to her, she took hold of the emerald teardrop crystal that Athena had given her and whispered, "Athena, I need you."

Melanie looked around again before shrugging and whispering, "It was worth a shot." She then turned loose of the crystal and began to jog towards the store.

Moments later, as Melanie was about to jog past her house, she came to a walk when Athena and Hermes stepped out from a parked Toyota Avalon.

"Oh, wow, did it work?" Melanie asked them as she was walking towards them. When Athena and Hermes gave her a curious look, she continued to ask, "Was I able to call you by grasping the crystal and saying that I needed you?"

Athena amusingly grinned before saying, "I did hear you say that you needed me, but only because you are one of few individuals who I'm monitoring; not because of your necklace. And truthfully, if you weren't a seer, I wouldn't have responded to your request as quickly as this."

"Lucky me," Melanie replied as she joined Athena and Hermes next to their car.

"So did you get a vision that would be vital to us?" Hermes asked.

"I did get a vision, but I suspect that my vision is old news to the two of you," Melanie replied.

"Melanie, why do you need me?" Athena asked.

"Because of this," Melanie said as she pulled out the coin from her right front pocket.

When Athena and Hermes saw what Melanie had, Hermes quickly demanded to know, "Where did you get that coin?"

"My best friend acquired it last Sunday, and I know it belongs to you guys," Melanie replied.

"It does indeed belong to us," Athena replied as she held out her hand for the coin. "And it supposed to be somewhere, where no one could get his or her hands on it."

Melanie dropped the coin into Athena's hand while saying, "As they say, nothing stays buried forever, and I guess that statement is true even if it was buried within one of the hollows of the Underworld."

"Wait," Hermes quickly requested while gesturing towards Athena's coin-holding hand. "You know where that coin used to be buried?"

"As soon as I took hold of the coin, I was given a long… long history lesson about that coin, along with ninety-nine more coins," Melanie informed. "And since this coin was able to get back out into the world, I fairly certain that the other ninety-nine coins are out in the world as well."

"Melanie, were you shown who took the coins from the Underworld?" Athena asked.

"I saw the coins being dug up, but the one doing the digging was invisible," Melanie replied.

"Those thieves we captured don't possess the ability to turn themselves invisible," Hermes told Athena.

"Melanie, I would like to see what you saw," Athena told her. "Would you mind if I look inside your memories?"

"Will it hurt?" Melanie quickly asked.

"I promise it won't hurt," Athena said with a grin. "It will be an invasion of your privacy though."

Melanie shrugged before saying, "Okay, well, I don't have anything to hide. So I'm okay if you look."

"Okay," Athena said just before her light blue eyes darkened.

Melanie's brown eyes turned black and she appeared as if she had fallen into a trance.

Within seconds, Melanie's eyes and Athena's eyes returned to normal, and as Melanie came out of her trance like appearance, Athena told Melanie, "You weren't exaggerating when you said that you were given a history lesson. The only thing that this coin didn't show you of its history was how it was minted."

Melanie slightly grinned before saying, "And I wouldn't mind seeing that."

Athena nodded with a slight grin before saying, "Okay, well, thanks for retrieving this coin for us, and now Hermes and I need to go deal with how the coin got out in the world in the first place."

"Don't go yet," Melanie uttered before Athena and Hermes could say or do anything else. "I need to know, how long will the coin's effects last on a person once the coin had been removed, and I need to know because the friend who had gotten hold of the coin already wrongfully blames herself for her brother's death and that coin was amplifying her guilt."

"The good news for your friend is that your friend was only exposed to the coin for less than a week, so any effect that the coin had on her will be negligible, but unfortunately, the coin's effects on a person is permanent," Athena replied.

"Andi had felt as guilty as hell before she got hold of that coin, and now her guilt has doubled," Melanie replied. "She is not guilty for Justin's death though; someone else is to blame, but as guilty as she feels right now, I'm scared that she might start down a dark path or try to hurt herself. So is there any way you can help my friend?"

"Melanie, the way to help Andi is to convince her that she was not to blame for her brother's death," Athena said in a consoling tone.

"I've tried; everyone had tried. What she really needs is for Justin to tell her, but Justin is dead and had moved on." When Athena proudly grinned Melanie asked, "What?"

"What you said about Justin telling her was actually a good suggestion," Athena praised. She then acted as if she was listening to something that only she could hear. Moments later, she refocused on Melanie with a less enthusiastic expression on her face before saying, "Unfortunately Justin's spirit is no longer available to visit Andi, but I will help Andi by sending her a dream with Justin telling her that she's not to blame."

"First off, sending Andi a dream like that will be deeply appreciated," Melanie sincerely said. Athena nodded with a grin. "Secondly, what do you mean that Justin's spirit is no longer available?"

"I'm certain you have heard of reincarnation," Athena said.

"Yes… oh, ah, has Justin been reincarnated?" Melanie asked.

"He has, and he is completely oblivious of his life as Justin," Athena said.

"Are there rules regarding on when a soul goes to the Underworld or gets reincarnated or even becomes an earthbound spirit?" Melanie asked.

"Well, the earthbound spirits are the souls that either fear going to the Underworld or have unfinished business with the living," Athena began. "As for the souls that enter the Underworld, Hades gives each of them the option to experience life anew once they are ready to do so."

"Even the souls that go to Hell get the option to experience life again?" Melanie quickly asked.

"Okay, well, first off, Melanie, in spite of people's beliefs, the Underworld is neither Heaven nor Hell; it's a place that a soul goes to reflect on his or her past actions," Athena began. A confused expression came across Melanie's face. "If a person had lived his or her life as a kind person, then an equal amount of kindness is what is reflected back onto itself. But if a person had lived his or her life as a cruel person, then an equal amount of cruelty will be what is reflected back onto itself. No doubt that when a soul reflects cruelty, the soul will believe that he or she was sent to Hell when in fact, he or she had sent him or herself there. Also the soul could complete the self-reflection in several hours or it could take as long as several years… decades even. Regardless as to how long it takes, Hades will offer them the option to experience life again once they are through."

"But didn't Lewis Vendredi make a pact with the devil and then got dragged to hell when he broke that pact?" Melanie quickly asked.

"Hell—as in a place where the souls of sinful people go to be punished after they die—isn't real, but the devil—known to the Gods and to the half-mortals as the Dark Lord or the Dark Master—is very real, Melanie," Hermes was the one to say. "He revels in violent-deaths and chaos; however, he himself is not free to kill or spread chaos on his own, so he recruits people like Lewis Vendredi to spread death and chaos for him. And in return the devil will give the people that he recruits the means to obtain immortality, wealth and magical powers. Also as long as a person actively seeks out the devil, the arrangement between the devil and his recruits is a binding pact that we Olympians can't interfere with. They—body and soul—become agents to the devil, and if one of the devil's agents violates the pact, the devil has free reign to do what he wants to the violator. So I have no doubt that Lewis Vendredi had been dragged into the devil's realm—or Hell, if you would like to call his realm that—and tortured. However, the devil is not allowed to drag sinful people to hell. The sinful people will torture themselves during self-reflection when the time comes."

"Wow, all the priests have this wrong," Melanie replied. "Anyway, what happens to the souls if they don't want to experience life again?"

"They become agents to the Underworld and then, after a reasonable amount of time has passed, these souls will get the option again to experience life," Athena replied. "Anyway, Melanie, again thank you for retrieving this coin for us, but Hermes and I really need to go."

"Right; sorry. I'm just fascinated with all of this," Melanie replied. Athena amusingly grinned. "Anyway, I guess I'll see you two around."

"We'll see you around," Athena and Hermes told Melanie.

As Athena and Hermes went to the car, Melanie walked towards her front door.

Once Melanie entered the house, she was only there long enough to get a change of clothes and to tell her parents that she was staying the night at Andi's house.

6:50 P.M., ten minutes before Nicki was to flip the sign to indicate that the store was close and lock the door, Lloyd opened the door and stepped in.

Nicki—while standing on the employee side of the display-case/counter—had a rag in her hand and was cleaning grime from a good size dog statue that she recently acquired. Lizzy was upstairs and taking a bath. Jason was throwing away boxes and other recycle material in the recycle bin outside.

"Welcome to 'Curious Goods,'" Nicki told Lloyd while putting down the rag and looking towards him. "Are you looking for something in particular?"

As Lloyd walked towards the display-case/counter, he said, "Actually I'm here to speak with you, Nicki."

Nicki gave Lloyd a curious look for a moment before guessing, "Oh, you must be my mom's friend who came by earlier today when I was out."

"I am," Lloyd replied before stepping up to the display-case/counter.

"So how well did you know my mom?" Nicki asked.

"Once upon a time, your mom and I were engaged to be married," Lloyd said while studying Nicki's reaction.

Nicki fidgeted slightly while saying, "You're Lloyd McNulty."

"I am," he said. "I'm also your dad, but I didn't know about you until today or…"

"I know you are my dad and Mom had her reasons for not telling you," Nicki replied.

"And what are those reasons why your mom robbed me of me knowing my first born?" Lloyd quickly asked.

"Mom was a great person and a great mom," Nicki replied. "And she didn't tell you about me because you would have sued her for custody of me and because of what she did, you would have most likely have won."

Lloyd thought for a second before chuckling without humor and saying, "Your mom was right. I would have sued her for custody and for a good reason."

"I know what that reason is, and in spite of your belief of cursed objects, cursed objects exist," Nicki told him. Lloyd pursed his lips. "If only you would have trusted and had faith in Mom, Mom wouldn't have robbed you of knowing me. Anyway, you're here now, and I need to ask. Why did you come looking for Mom?"

"One of my clients' teenage sons had gotten arrested here and I delivered the bail money," Lloyd began. "Since I was in town, I thought I catch up, and then I learned about you. Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that your mom had died."

"Thanks," Nicki replied.

"For what it's worth, I really did love your mom," Lloyd added.

"And she loved you, but you broke her heart when you didn't believe her," Nicki replied.

"I believe in science, Nicki, and things that I can touch," Lloyd replied.

"You still don't believe in those cursed objects, do you?" Nicki replied.

"I don't, and neither should you," Lloyd replied.

"They're real, and my mom and Jack had gotten back every cursed object that Great-Uncle Lewis had sold or given away," Nicki informed.

"So all of the cursed objects are downstairs in the vault?" Lloyd questioned.

"How do you know about the vault?" Nicki quickly asked.

"Your mom showed me the vault when she was attempting to convince me that cursed objects exist and that it was her responsibility to recover them. And if your mom had recovered all of those objects that your Great-Uncle Lewis had sold or given away, then why did she stay? I mean she could have returned to her life."

"Recovering all of the cursed objects was only the first half of her responsibility," Nicki replied. "The second half of her responsibility was to make sure that not one of those cursed objects sees the light of day again, but now it's my responsibility."

"There are always another way to keep those objects from seeing the light of day without standing guard in front of the vault," Lloyd told her.

"Standing guard is the most efficient way," Nicki replied. "That was made clear to me last night."

"What happen last night?" Lloyd asked.

"I learned last night that my Great-Uncle Lewis wasn't the only one who made a deal with the devil and had cursed objects thirty-eight years ago," Nicki began. "Mom and Jack didn't know about those objects, but a man named Dennis and his children did. As Mom and Jack were collecting the cursed objects that Great-Uncle Lewis had sold or given away, Dennis and his kids were collecting the cursed objects that Mom and Jack didn't know about. They collected them all… all they knew about anyway; plunged them into the deepest depths of the ocean within one huge container and returned to their lives. Those objects didn't stay in the ocean though. Very recently maritime salvage had found that container and dispersed its contents."

"How do you know this?" Lloyd asked.

"Everett—one of Dennis's sons—came to me last night," Nicki informed. "Dennis and Everett had crossed paths with Mom, and they knew about Mom collecting cursed objects, but Mom didn't know about them. Anyway, cursed objects can supernaturally wiggle themselves back out into the world somehow when they are not properly contained and Everett came here last night to find out how Mom and Jack were preventing that."

"So Dennis and his kids are going after those cursed objects again," Lloyd guessed.

"They are," Nicki replied.

"What about you?" Lloyd asked. "Will you follow in your mom's footsteps and go after those cursed objects as well?"

"If I discover one, I will," Nicki replied.

"What you should do is sell the shop to Dennis and his kids and then get on with your life," Lloyd suggested.

"I can't do that," Nicki quickly replied. "I won't do that. I won't entrust this responsibility of watching cursed objects to anyone else."

Lloyd pursed his lips before saying, "It's very clear that you truly believe that there are in fact cursed objects in the world."

"And you still don't believe that there are cursed objects, do you?" Nicki asked.

"I don't," Lloyd replied. "But I would very much like to put our conflicting beliefs aside and get to know one another."

"As long as you don't try to convince me to sell the store, I would like that," Nicki replied.

"Sure, I can accept you as a store owner with a weird quirk of locking away certain objects in the basement," Lloyd said. Nicki slightly and amusingly chuckled. "Anyway, I haven't eaten dinner yet and I would like to take you to dinner."

Nicki slightly grinned before saying, "You need to know that your eight-year-old granddaughter is upstairs and taking a bath, and once she gets done with her bath, we would be happy to go to dinner with you."

Lloyd pleasantly smiled before asking, "So what is my granddaughter's name?"

Nicki smiled as well, as she said, "Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Lizzy."

"I look forward in meeting Lizzy," Lloyd said as Jason was walking in from the back of the store.

Nicki and Lloyd turned to look when they heard Jason's footsteps,

When Jason saw Nicki and Lloyd, he asked, "Oh, um, should I make myself scarce?"

"It's fine, Jason," Nicki replied. "I would like for you to meet Lloyd McNulty… my dad."

"Oh," Jason uttered as the realization to the situation set in. "I could imagine what you thought, Mr. McNulty, to learn about your daughter from a complete stranger."

"I guess there are worse ways to find out," Lloyd replied.

"True," Jason replied. "Nicki could have tracked you down because she needed a kidney."

"Jason, it's almost seven," Nicki began while looking at her watch. "So go ahead and take off. I'll finish up from here."

"Okay," Jason replied. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. McNulty."

"Likewise, Jason," Lloyd told him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Nicki," Jason said before moving towards the exit.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jason," Nicki replied as she came out from around the display-case/counter. She then told Lloyd. "Let me lock up and then we can go upstairs so you can meet your granddaughter."

Lloyd nodded with a polite grin, and as Nicki walked towards the front door, he asked, "So is Lizzy's dad in the picture?"

"Lizzy's dad died before I even knew that I was pregnant with Lizzy," Nicki replied as she continued towards the door.

"I'm sorry," Lloyd sympathetically said while looking towards Nicki's flat black shoes. He expected her to be wearing heels.

"Thanks," Nicki replied while turning over the sign to indicate that the store was now closed.

"Does Lizzy know what happened to her dad?" Lloyd asked as Nicki was locking the door.

Nicki turned towards Lloyd and as she walked towards him, she said, "Lizzy knows that her dad had gone to heaven. She knows her dad's name is Matthew Tanner and she knows that her dad and I were college sweethearts."

"So how did Matthew die?" Lloyd asked.

"A carjacker shot him while taking his car, and Lizzy doesn't know how he died," Nicki told him.

"And she won't learn that fact from me," Lloyd replied.

"Thank you," Nicki said in an appreciative tone. She then gestured up the steps. "Anyway, let's go upstairs."

"After you," Lloyd said while gesturing for her to go first.

Nicki nodded with a slight grin before walking towards the stairs. As she began to climb the steps, she said, "You indicated earlier that I was your first born."

"You are," Lloyd replied. "You have two sisters and no brothers. Their names are Emily and Claire. Emily is twenty-eight and like her mom, she has black hair. She's a prosecuting attorney; she's married to Detective Jared Donavan of the Springfield Police Department, and they have three-year-old identical twin sons, Jacob and Kaleb."

"It sounds like Emily is doing well for herself," Nicki replied. "What about Claire?"

"Claire is doing well as well," Lloyd replied. "She's twenty-five. She has dark brown hair and she's a first year intern at Springfield Memorial."

"She's a doctor? Nice," Nicki replied.

"Well, she's working on it," Lloyd said with a grin. "Anyway, she's not married, but she has recently begun seeing someone."

"So… Dad," Nicki began. "Tell me things about you."

"Well, um, I'm a senior partner at 'Cooper, Dawson and McNulty' law firm. We are corporate lawyers. I live alone in a condominium near downtown Springfield…"

"You live alone?" Nicki questioned. "What about Emily and Claire's mom?"

"Did you hear about the bank explosion incident in Springfield fourteen months ago?" Lloyd asked in a remorseful tone.

"I did," Nicki replied. "A suicide bomber walked into a bank and detonated the bomb as soon as he walked in."

"Well, he wasn't exactly a suicide bomber," Lloyd corrected. "Theory is, he walked into the bank to rob the place, but the bomb went off before he could do so. Anyway, Natalie—my late wife—was one of the eight who was killed."

"I'm sorry," Nicki consolingly said.

"Thanks," Lloyd replied. "Anyway, in case you're wondering, I met Natalie eight months after your mom and I ended things, but we didn't start dating until four weeks later."

"I wasn't really wondering… well at the moment anyway," Nicki replied. "I'm sure I would have wondered about that tidbit later on."

"So tell me about you," Lloyd said. "What did you study in college?"

"Law," Nicki replied.

"Law?" Lloyd rhetorically questioned in a delightful tone. "I see your tall height isn't the only thing you got from me. How tall are you anyway?"

"I'm 5' 11" while barefooted," Nicki replied while reaching the top of the steps. As they stepped into the kitchen, she asked, "How tall are Emily and Claire?"

"Emily is 5' 9"… the same as her mother," Lloyd replied. "In fact, her hair color and her height are pretty much all she got on her mom's side of the family. Emily favors my dad's mom the most."

Nicki nodded before asking, "Is Claire 5' 9" as well?"

"She's 5' 10", and counting you, the second tallest woman among my female relatives," Lloyd replied. "Anyway, how far did you get in obtaining a law degree?"

"All the way," Nicki replied before lowering her voice to keep Lizzy from hearing. "Matthew and I went through law school together. We both passed the bar, and soon after that Matthew was killed. I then learned that I was pregnant and Mom convinced me to move back here."

"Have you practice law after passing the bar?" Lloyd asked.

"No, I haven't," Nicki replied. "At first I couldn't. I didn't have the heart to continue as planned without Matthew, so I helped Mom out here. Then Mom died in a car accident and I inherited the store. And that was it for my law career."

"Because of your beliefs, I understand why you chose this over being a lawyer, but you also gave up a prosperous career," Lloyd replied.

"Lizzy and I do alright here," Nicki replied before gesturing towards the bathroom. "And speaking of Lizzy, let me check on her." Lloyd nodded and Nicki walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. "Sweetie, how much longer will you be?"

"I'm all dried off, but I'm pooping," Lizzy replied loud enough for Lloyd to hear.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone so you can get done," Nicki told her.

"Mom, who's here?" Lizzy called out. "I heard you and a man talking, but I couldn't hear what was said."

"He's someone who you haven't met yet, sweetie, and I will introduce you to him once you are done," Nicki replied. "In fact, you and I will be going to dinner with him."

"Pizza?" Lizzy asked in a hopeful tone.

When Nicki saw Lloyd nodding with an amused grin, she told Lizzy, "Yes, we'll go somewhere that sells pizzas."

"Yay," Lizzy replied.

"Once you get done, sweetie, and once you are dressed, I'll comb your hair for you," Nicki told her.

"Okay," Lizzy replied.

As Nicki moved away from the door, she asked Lloyd, "Would you like anything to drink? I have sweet tea, fruit punch, milk, cola and water."

"Tea would be good," Lloyd replied.

Nicki nodded before moving to the refrigerator.

In the Underworld, Athena, Hermes, Hades, Hecate and two of Hades' agents searched the hollows and found that twenty-five gallons of Hecate's water (water that was imbued with magic), two scrolls that each had a powerful incantation and magical objects that should have been buried within the hollows had also been taken.

"How much damage can mortals do with those scrolls?" Athena asked Hecate.

"Those scrolls will be hard for mortals to decipher," Hecate replied. "But regardless when they decipher them, the water will cause an immediate change to the mortal realm."

"What kind of change?" Hermes asked.

"If whoever took the water, allows just fifteen gallons of the water to evaporate within the atmosphere, the atmosphere will stir into violent rainstorms, and after the rain has fallen, the mortal realm will become enriched with magic," Hecate informed.

"Which means what exactly?" Hermes asked.

"There are several mortals today who can cast strong magic and once the mortal realm becomes enriched with magic, the number of mortals who will be able to cast strong magic will increase exponentially," Hecate informed. "Of course the change won't be noticeable right away. The mortals who will be able to cast strong magic won't even be born for another nine months."

"Someone is looking to give or is giving the mortals unbridled magic," Athena concluded.

"Or had given the mortals unbridled magic," Hades added.

Athena took a troubled breath as Hermes said, "It's unlikely that those six thieves had done this. So there has to be someone among us who orchestrated this."

"I could think of at least twelve half-mortals who might be capable of doing this, along with the desire to do so," Hades said.

"Who are they?" Athena quickly asked.

Hades named off the twelve half-mortals, and once Athena had the names, she and Hermes left to find Malik—the closest half-mortal to them from Hades' list.

Within a short time, Athena located Malik in a mock barroom setting while playing pool with Valick—another half-mortal from Hades' list.

Athena and Hermes looked around after stepping in. Malik and Valick saw them immediately and paused their game.

"Lady Athena; Lord Hermes, welcome to 'Rattlesnake Saloon'," Valick told them as the two were walking towards him and Malik. "What brings you two here?"

"Someone is attempting to give mortals unbridled magic and I understand from Hades that you and Malik are all for that," Athena informed. "So I must ask…"

Before Athena could continue, Malik uttered, "You're going to ask if Valick and I are the ones doing it, and I swear to you, Lady Athena, that we're not."

Athena had sensed that Malik was speaking the truth and asked, "Have you heard who is?"

"No; however, Lilith is a strong advocate about giving mortals unbridled magic, and seven days ago, I saw Lilith and Kingston talking in secret," Malik replied. "Kingston is also an advocate about giving mortals unbridled magic, and I haven't seen either of them for the past five days."

"Thank you, Malik, you were a big help," Athena told him.

"Would it really be so bad if mortals would receive unbridled magic?" Valick asked.

"Mortals have a saying," Hermes began. "'Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Of course that saying isn't true for every single mortal, but it is true for most of them. Mortals with unbridled magic will do unfathomable harm to one another."

"The mortals might surprise you, Lord Hermes," Valick replied. "If only you, Lady Athena and the other Olympians would give the mortals a fair chance to prove it. They might be more responsible than you know."

"Valick, do you know more about this situation than Malik?" Athena quickly asked.

"No; no one confided in me about giving unbridled magic to the mortals, Lady Athena, but if they had I would be with them this very moment," Valick informed.

"Valick, you are under restriction to remain among the populous section of the Underworld until I tell you otherwise," Athena quickly announced.

"You're punishing me?" Valick quickly demanded to know.

"You have directly expressed the desire to commit a heinous act in front of an Olympian," Athena retorted. "So you're lucky that I don't do more than restrict your movement, Valick." Athena's eyes then flashed slightly for a moment before the mock barroom faded away to a cave-like chamber. "Now return to the populous sector, Valick, and you as well, Malik."

"Yes, Lady Athena," Valick replied in an unpleasant tone.

"Yes, Lady Athena," Malik replied in a neutral tone.

As Valick and Malik walked away, Athena and Hermes reached out their minds to locate Lilith and Kingston.

After a moment of searching, Hermes replied, "Lilith and Kingston are in Hades' library."

"Yes, I sense them," Athena said. "So let's go greet them."

Hermes nodded just before he and Athena faded from where they were and slowly reappeared in the Library."

"Lord Hermes. Lady Athena. Welcome to the Grand Library," the librarian (an agent of the Underworld) greeted. "My name is Tabitha. Or it was when I was human."

"Tabitha, we are only here to speak with Lilith and Kingston," Hermes said as he and Athena looked over the twenty library-goers within their view.

"Those two are over there," Tabitha informed while gesturing. "I tried a few times to find out if they needed anything, but they growl at me to let them be. They're catching up on the history of enlightenment and they don't like being interrupted."

"Then they're not going to like what I'm going to do," Athena replied while turning and walking towards Lilith and Kingston.

Hermes and Tabatha followed Athena as Athena stepped up to Lilith and Kingston (a black haired woman who stood 5' 9" and a dark brown haired man who stood 6' 0") and called for their immediate attention.

"Go bother someone else," Lilith and Kingston grumbled without looking.

"You should really look at who you are speaking to," Athena replied. When Lilith and Kingston didn't reply, Athena called their names again.

"Go bother someone else," Lilith and Kingston replied again in the same way and manner and without looking.

Recognition came across Athena's face and Hermes's face just before Athena—in a voice in authority—ordered, "Everyone here. Stand up from your table and take a step back."

Fifteen of the twenty library-goers stood up and moved away from the table by one to three steps.

Lilith, Kingston, Dayton, Aliza and Rory remain seated, and Athena and Hermes looked at each of them one by one. Athena's eyes then flashed slightly for a moment followed by the five who were seated turning into a thick pinkish liquid and drenching their respective chairs.

"Those five were constructs?" Tabatha questioned.

"They were," Athena replied.

"Now we need to locate where they are actually at," Hermes replied before he and Athena reached out their minds again.

Within minutes, Athena and Hermes sensed that Lilith was in Phoenix, Arizona. Kingston was in Salta, Argentina. Rory was in London, England. Dayton was in Cairo, Egypt and Aliza was in Tsetserleg, Mongolia.

After sensing of where they were, Athena transported herself to Phoenix, Arizona as Hermes transported himself to Salta, Argentina.


	12. A New Beginning Part 7

**A New Beginning Part 7**

In Phoenix, Arizona, Athena gradually faded into sight outside of a Starbucks restaurant, and the people who were looking her way didn't seem to have been aware that something unusual had happened.

Athena continued into Starbucks and looked around soon after stepping in.

Lilith was seated at one of the tables while drinking coffee, along with sharing a large muffin with Marty—a young man who she had met after entering the mortal realm—and having a pleasant conversation. Like Lilith, Marty was 5' 9".

Without hesitation, Athena stepped up to Lilith and Marty's table. Lilith did a double take when she saw Athena.

As Lilith stared worryingly at Athena, Marty asked, "May I help you, Miss?"

"I'm here because of Lilith," Athena told Marty. "I'm her parole officer."

"Wait, you're on probation?" Marty asked Lilith.

As Lilith's worry expression deepened, Athena continued with, "Probation; being thrown into a prison cell—her future hasn't really been determined at this point."

"What did you do?" Marty quickly asked Lilith.

"Something that she shouldn't have done and had violated the condition of her parole," Athena was the one to reply. "So, Lilith, you need to come with me now before things get worse for you."

"Take care of yourself, Marty," Lilith said while standing. "Most likely, we won't see one another again."

"I have money to get you a good defense attorney," Marty said while also standing.

"Don't bother, Marty," Lilith told him. "My fate will be determined by how merciful the Gods will be."

"You have that right," Athena replied before making a head gesture towards the exit. "Now let's go."

"Officer, wait," Marty quickly requested. "Where are you taking her?"

"Sir, this isn't your concern," Athena told him before her eyes flashed. "So sit down, finish your muffin and continue your life as if you haven't met Lilith."

As Marty was retaking his seat, Lilith accused, "You removed his memories of me."

"I did and be glad that is all I'm doing," Athena retorted. "Now move."

"I expected that it would be months before the Olympians would come looking for me," Lilith uttered and drawing attention from other customers. Athena saw right away that customers were paying attention to them. "Man was I wrong."

Athena's eyes flashed again for only a moment before telling Lilith, "If you are trying to cause a scene, don't bother. Mortals can no longer hear us, see us or even remember us being here."

"That's Olympians' solution for everything," Lilith hissed. "Erase the knowledge from the mortals' minds that you don't want them to know about."

"You need to remember who you are speaking to, Lilith," Athena warned. "My family and I have always treated you kindly and fairly, so your insubordination is unwarranted."

"Fairly?" Lilith chuckled with no humor as she approached the door.

"You disagree?" Athena questioned.

Lilith stopped at the door and faced Athena. Athena stopped as well while Lilith was hissing, "You keep us prisoners in the Underworld."

"No one is a prisoner, Lilith," Athena quickly told her. "You, along with any other half-mortal, have the right to be reborn as a mortal anytime you have the desire to do so."

"How gracious of you," Lilith sarcastically said. "Meanwhile, you and the other Olympians can come and go to any realm whenever you and they feel like it."

"The only time we step foot on the mortal realm is to correct a cosmic imbalance that occurs after mortals mess with magical forces that they shouldn't be messing with; otherwise we don't involve ourselves with mortals," Athena informed.

"And you honestly expect me to believe that?" Lilith questioned in a disbelieving tone.

"I couldn't care less if you believe me or not," Athena replied. "But what I do care about are the names to all of your coconspirators and the whereabouts to all of the twenty-five gallons of water that you and your group had stolen from Hecate."

"I can't help you with who all are involved." Athena could sense that Lilith was being honest as she spoke. "None of us knew who all were involved. It was done this way because if one of us got caught we couldn't inform on the others."

"Okay, then tell me about the twenty-five gallons of water," Athena replied. "Where is it?"

"I was only given five gallons of it, and as instructed, I allowed it to evaporate into the atmosphere," Lilith replied.

"And who had given you the water and your instructions?" Athena asked.

Lilith shrugged before saying, "It mysteriously showed up seven days ago with instructions on what to do with it. It was for a cause that I agreed with, so I followed its instructions."

"You had helped give unbridled magic to mortals and now you might be facing harsh punishment because of it," Athena told her.

"The mortals deserve the chance to bloom and to flourish with magic," Lilith replied. "Once that happens, we half-mortals can once again live amongst the mortals, so whatever happens to me will be worth it."

"You're foolish if you think that mortals will bloom and flourish with unbridled magic," Athena informed.

"I never realized how cynical you were, Lady Athena," Lilith told her.

"You think I'm cynical," Athena commented before acting as if she was listening for something.

"Very much so," Lilith uttered just before Athena gestured for her to wait.

A second later, a satisfying expression came across Athena's face, and she reached out with her right hand.

"I'm going to show you something, so take my hand," Athena told Lilith.

"Okay," Lilith said skeptically before taking hold of Athena's hand.

Within moments, the Starbucks's dining area was replaced by the scene of a skirmish between ten teenage boys. The skirmish was taking place at a basketball court within a nearby park.

One of the boys was beaten severely when Athena and Lilith arrived unseen by mortals. Sirens were heard and were getting louder with each passing second.

"This is mortals without unbridled magic," Athena pointed out as she gestured towards the fighting teenagers. "If these mortals had unbridled magic they would be throwing fireballs and lightning bolts at each other instead of their fists and kicks."

"Of course there will always be some irresponsible mortals," Lilith said on the mortal's behalf. "The Olympians can't judge all of the mortals by only a few irresponsible ones."

"You're not getting it, Lilith," Athena replied as four squad cars pulled up with their sirens and lights on. "There aren't a few irresponsible ones; there are only a few responsible ones." Athena gestured towards the now fleeing teenagers as she continued to say. "This is not an isolated incident. This is a widespread problem within the mortal realm and it has been throughout history. So giving them unbridled magic isn't going to help them. Nor will it bridge the gap between them and us. But what it is going to do is cause devastating destruction towards one another."

"Perhaps the mortals will surprise you and be responsible," Lilith suggested in a tone as if her belief of most mortals being responsible was waning.

"Prior to two thousand years ago, the mortals were given tests after tests to surprise us and they—as a whole—had failed each test," Athena informed. "I don't foresee mortals doing any better today. However, thanks to you and your coconspirators, mortals will have unbridled magic anyway."

Lilith started to speak, but stopped herself when she saw two of the cops manhandling one of the bigger teenagers with slightly more force than necessary in order to apprehend him.

Athena noticed what Lilith was looking at and asked, "Do you still think that mortals can handle what is to come?"

"Okay, you proved to me that I was wrong," Lilith replied. "How do I correct what I did?"

"You can't; in fact, no one can," Athena said. "The damage is done and the only thing we can do is prepare for what is to come. Anyway, it's time for us to leave."

"Are you sending me to the pit?" Lilith asked.

"No," Athena replied. "I'm taking you to the populous section of the Underworld and there you will remain until it can be decided on what to do with you."

"Thank you, Lady Athena, for showing me mercy," Lilith said graciously.

"Your actions were misguided; not evil," Athena replied before taking hold of Lilith's upper left arm.

Within seconds, Athena took Lilith to the Underworld and then transported herself to London, England.

Friday morning, around 8:50 A.M., Nicki was unlocking the door for Jason and Melanie to enter. Lizzy was upstairs in the kitchen eating breakfast.

Nicki and Melanie wore black slacks. Nicki wore a short-sleeve navy blue blouse and Melanie wore a short-sleeve light gray pullover shirt that had a collar. Nicki wore her black flat shoes, and Melanie wore her mom's brown flat shoes.

Jason wore navy blue slacks, a tan short-sleeve shirt and black shoes.

Once the door was opened, Melanie and Jason greeted Nicki with, "Good Morning."

"Good morning," Nicki echoed as she backed up.

Melanie stepped in first followed by Jason.

"I made sure I had my birth certificate and social security card before coming here," Melanie added as she indicated to her purse.

"The printer at my desk has a copying feature," Nicki told Melanie while gesturing towards the desk on the mid-level balcony. "Go copy them and give me the copies."

"Do you want just one copy?" Melanie asked as she and Jason moved deeper into the store.

"Yes; one copy each is all I need," Nicki replied as she flipped the sign to indicate that the store was now open.

Nicki then moved deeper into the store behind Jason.

"Oh, so how did things go with your dad last night?" Jason asked as Melanie was reaching the stairs that led to the mid-level balcony.

Without climbing the steps, Melanie swung around as Nicki replied, "It went well."

"Wait," Melanie quickly requested. "You spoke with your dad—Lloyd Senior—last night?"

"In this reality, Melanie, my parents never married, so Lloyd Junior was never born," Nicki informed. "In fact, he only has two other daughters besides me and no sons. So my dad's name is Lloyd; not Lloyd Senior."

"Okay, but I thought that you and he had never met," Melanie replied.

"Up until yesterday evening we didn't," Nicki replied. "And why are you concerned about if my dad and I had met before?"

"It's not that I'm concerned about it," Melanie replied while thinking of an excuse for wanting to know. "It's just that my psychic feelings told me that your dad didn't know about you, and I had never been wrong with my psychic feelings before… that I'm aware of, anyway. And if your dad was aware of you, then my perfect record wouldn't be perfect after all."

Nicki amusingly grinned before saying, "As far as I know, your perfect record is still intact, Melanie. My dad was in town yesterday, and while you, Lizzy and I were out, he came in to see if my mom had still owned the store. When he learned that I—my mom's only child—had inherited the store, he made a point to come back, and he came back just before I closed for the night."

"Oh," Melanie said. She then gestured up the steps. "I'll go make those copies for you."

Nicki held her amused grin and nodded in agreement before Melanie could turn and climb the stairs.

As Melanie was reaching the mid-level balcony, James, Alicia, six female earthbound spirits and two male earthbound spirits appeared before her and she came to a sudden stopped. All of the earthbound spirits—other than James—appeared to be in the early to mid-twenties of the time of their deaths.

"What's going on?" Melanie asked the earthbound spirits as she looked into each of their faces.

"What was that Melanie?" Nicki questioned. Jason was standing next to Nicki.

"James, Alicia and a few of their spirit friends are here," Melanie told Nicki.

"We're here because Jane Reece isn't the only witch who had stolen bodies," Alicia told Melanie before gesturing towards the other earthbound spirits. "Jane's coven members had stolen their bodies as well."

"Except for me," James said. "Jane just simply tricked me into committing suicide."

"Melanie, what's going on?" Nicki asked.

"All or most of Jane's coven members had body swapped and their victims are here," Melanie told Nicki.

"Those two detectives from yesterday only know about me, and they need to know about them as well," Alicia told Melanie while again gesturing towards the other spirits.

"Those detectives weren't exactly believers when it came to witchcraft and your body being stolen," Melanie reminded Alicia.

"I realize that, but please try," Alicia said. "They need help and justice as well."

Melanie pursed her lips for a moment before saying, "Fine. I'll try. Let me find paper and something to write with so I can write down your names."

"Melanie, what's going on?" Nicki asked.

Melanie filled Nicki in on what was going on before she sat at the desk and searched for paper and a pen.

"Once you get the names, give me the list and I'll call Detective Gilbert," Nicki instructed.

"Alright," Melanie replied before finding paper and a pen.

Melanie asked the spirits one by one for their names and then wrote each one down once she was told.

Nicki used her smart phone to find a non-emergency police number.

Once Melanie had the list of names, James, Alicia and the other spirits told Melanie that they were grateful for her assistance, and then faded from Melanie's sight.

Melanie then made copies of her birth certificate and social security card before taking everything to Nicki.

After Nicki took the list of names, she used the non-emergency police number that she had obtained, and as she was making the call Melanie and Jason went to straighten the shelves.

Within ten minutes and being transferred three times, she was reciting the list of names for Lucas to take down.

Once Lucas had the complete list, he and Nicki said their goodbyes and hung up. Nicki then began to help Melanie and Jason as they straightened and cleaned; however, when customers came in forty minutes after the store was opened, Nicki and sometimes Jason waited on the customers.

10: 40 A.M., Chloe—while wearing her three-inch high-heel ankle boots—stepped in with a Minolta Maxxum 7000 camera.

Nicki was standing up and reading the daily paper at the display-case/counter. Lizzy sat in the lounging area while watching TV and playing with three dolls. Melanie and Jason were putting out some of the clocks that they had received from the day before.

"Good morning, Chloe," Nicki greeted as Chloe was approaching the display-case/counter. "How are you and your family doing?"

"Things could be better," Chloe informed. Melanie and Jason abandoned the clocks that they had just put on display and stepped closer to Chloe. "It's taking us longer to track those cursed…"

"My eight-year-old daughter is watching TV over there," Nicki informed while gesturing. "She's not ready to learn about certain things, so choose your words appropriately."

"Of course," Chloe replied while glancing at Lizzy. As she faced Nicki again she continued to say, "Anyway, it's taking us longer to track down you-know-what kind of items than what we expect it would take." Chloe held up the camera as she said, "However, we did track this one down."

"There's nothing special about that camera," Melanie informed while gesturing to it.

"It's the same camera that my family had obtained before," Chloe replied.

"I believe you, but unless items can lose their…" Melanie glanced at Lizzy as she continued to say, "Their imprecating attributes over time—which I highly doubt—your family didn't stop anything by keeping that camera away from people."

"We took this camera from Sheldon Samson—his initials 'SS' is even carved into the camera," Chloe said as she pointed to the initials. "And every young person that Sheldon had photographed with this camera had passed away from old age within forty-eight hours. Now I don't know what trade off that the camera was giving Sheldon, but he was…" Chloe glance towards Lizzy as she continued to say, "He was using the camera inappropriately."

"Do you mind if I hold that camera?" Melanie asked. "I want to see if I can get a psychic vision from it."

Chloe slightly hesitated before saying, "Okay, sure."

Chloe held out the camera for Melanie to take, and Melanie held her breath while forcing herself to take the camera.

When Melanie didn't fall into a trance she shook her head and said, "I don't know why you thought that this camera was imprecated, but there's nothing special or abnormal about this."

"But the deaths had stopped once we took Sheldon's camera," Chloe replied in a volume that prevented Lizzy and even Nicki from hearing.

Nicki was able to read Chloe's lips though.

"If the deaths had in fact stopped after getting hold of his camera then that had to have been a coincidence," Melanie said while matching Chloe's volume.

Nicki was also able to read Melanie's lips.

"The deaths had stopped," Chloe said with certainty in her voice and in the same volume as before.

"Or Sheldon had gotten better with hiding those deaths once he realized that he had drawn your family's attention," Melanie countered.

"Okay, that… that had never dawned on me or my family that that could happen," Chloe replied.

"If the camera is truly an item that should be locked away, then it can't be broken," Nicki reminded everyone. "So let's see if we can break the camera."

"Let's take it out back and I'll take a sledge hammer to it," Jason said.

"Alright," Chloe replied. "Let's find out which it is."

"I'll stay here in case customers would come in," Nicki told them.

"Okay," Jason replied as he, Melanie and Chloe respectively walked towards the back door. Melanie carried the camera.

Soon after Jason, Melanie and Chloe left the store by the back door, Nicki's attention was drawn to the front door when it opened. Nicki then watched as Laila and then Lucas stepped in.

"Good morning, detectives," Nicki told them as they walked towards the display-case/counter.

"Good morning," Laila and Lucas echoed as Lucas glanced over the store.

"With the help of Chicago P. D. we just apprehended Alicia Branney one mile from here," Lucas continued to say as he faced Nicki. "She was walking towards Karen Merkel's front door and we stopped her before she could get inside."

"Karen Merkel is one of the people I called you this morning about," Nicki replied.

"She was," Lucas agreed as he and Laila stepped up to the display-case/counter. "There were eleven others there too and I have a hunch that eight of them were from that list that you gave me. I would have liked to find out, but the purpose to my and Laila's visit was to find out how well she knew Sheila White." When a confused express came across Nicki's face, Lucas continued to say, "Sheila's name was on that list that I found yesterday and up until last December Sheila had owned Karen's house. Sheila then suffered a massive stroke soon after selling her house to Karen and then died days later."

"So Alicia Branney had owned the house that Jane Reece used to own and Karen Markel bought her house from Sheila White," Nicki said as if she was brainstorming. "Jane's name and Sheila's name were on that list you found yesterday, and Alicia's name and Karen's name were on that list I had given you today. Any other names from that list from yesterday have a coincidental link to anyone from that list I gave you today?"

"That's a good detective work, Counselor," Lucas praised. "Unfortunately, the only four from yesterday's list who had ever owned any property were—in order from the list—Lewis Vendredi, Lysa Redding, Sheila White and Alicia Branney. I don't really have to tell you about when and how your Great-Uncle Lewis had died. However, less than two years after your great-uncle had died, Lysa died from a fall from a second-story window and her property had went to her son, Michael. Michael was ten when he inherited the house and when he came to age, he sold the house. The company who bought it had the house demolished and during the demolition a secret subbasement was uncovered, which makes two of the four to have known subbasements."

"I have a feeling that you are going to ask me if I know about a subbasement on my property," Nicki said.

"I think you would have made a good detective, Ms. Foster," Lucas replied. "Anyway, do you know anything about a subbasement on your property?"

Nicki only considered lying to Lucas, before saying, "My mom and Jack—Jack was her business partner at the time—had discovered a subbasement two years after she had inherited the store and the subbasement was converted to a hidden storage area soon after that."

"Would you mind if I take a look inside?" Lucas asked.

"I have my reasons when I say, I prefer that you didn't look inside, Detective," Nicki said as politely as she could.

"If you're just using it as a storage area then I don't know what the big deal is about you showing it to me," Lucas replied.

Nicki pursed her lips for a moment before turning towards Lizzy and calling for her. When Lizzy answered, Laila commented, "I didn't even notice that your daughter was even over there."

Nicki waited for Laila to get done speaking before telling Lizzy, "These detectives and I are going to have an adult conversation, so I'll need you to go upstairs until we're done."

"I can't wait to be older so I don't have to leave the room when you talk with grown-ups," Lizzy grumbled as she made her way towards the steps.

"Yes, I know, it's rough being a kid," Nicki said sympathetically.

Nicki, Lucas and Laila waited quietly as Lizzy made her way across the shop and up the steps.

As Lizzy was disappearing behind the door on the mid-level balcony, Melanie, Jason and Chloe were making their way towards the display-case/counter.

"It broke, Nicki, so I guess that means that it's not…" Chloe had stopped talking when she stepped close enough to the display-case/counter to see the two detectives. "Sorry, I didn't know that you had customers."

As Melanie, Jason and Chloe were joining the detectives, Nicki gestured appropriately while saying, "These two are Detective Gilbert and Detective Gordon. Detectives, you know Melanie and the others are Jason and Chloe. Jason also works for me and Chloe… well Chloe will be part of what I want to tell you."

"Okay, I'm listening," Lucas said.

Nicki took a breath before saying, "Detective Gilbert; Detective Gordon, you two learned yesterday at Alicia Branney's house that my Great-Uncle Lewis was a coven leader, but what you two don't know is that he was also a devil worshiper. Thirty-eight years ago he had made a deal with the devil to sell cursed curios through his store… through this store, and in return he would get immortality, wealth and magical powers. Five years after he made that deal guilt caught up with him and he attempted to renege on that deal and the devil killed him for it.

"My mom and her cousin Ryan then inherited the store. Of course Mom and Ryan didn't know anything about the curse curios, so their plan was to sell off the entire stock and closed the store for good. In fact, they sold most of what was left of when Great-Uncle Lewis had own the store, but then Jack—an old friend to Great-Uncle Lewis—showed up and together the three figured out what Great-Uncle Lewis had done and how he had actually died.

"The three then made it their mission to get back every cursed curio that Great-Uncle Lewis had ever sold and every cursed curio that they had unwittingly sold. However, from a bizarre incident—a story for another time—Ryan had to leave the store after two years and another man named Johnny joined and helped track down the cursed curios. Anyway, it took Mom, Jack and Johnny seven years to find and get back every cursed curio, and now all of those cursed curios are stored in that aforementioned hidden storage area. And no offence, detectives, but until I get to know you two a lot better, I prefer not to show either of you—or anyone else as far as that matters—where I keep those cursed curios."

Lucas pursed his lips for a moment before nodding and saying, "I don't believe in cursed curios, but it's obvious that you do, so I understand why you don't want to show me your hidden storage area. So for now, I'll settle with knowing that it's there. So that makes three of the four houses with known subbasements." Melanie, Jason and Chloe gave Lucas curious looks. "Being the betting man that I am, I'm willing to bet that there's a subbasement in Karen Merkel's house as well. Unfortunately, I have no legal grounds to examine her basemen; also Detective Gordon and I are actually out of our jurisdiction at the moment. Anyway, what does Chloe have to do with what you had told me?"

"Mom, Jack and Johnny only knew about the curios that Great-Uncle Lewis had cursed," Nicki began. "Chloe, her two brothers and her dad knew about other cursed objects and they had hunted down those objects."

"Unfortunately, we didn't store them correctly and they had gotten back out into the world," Chloe added. "Now when we get a hold of one, we bring it here for Nicki to store."

"Assuming that cursed curios or cursed objects are not figments of your folks' imagination, what exactly will curse objects do?" Laila asked.

"It actually depends on the object," Nicki replied before she and Chloe began naming off cursed curios and objects and saying what their curses were.

Nicki and Chloe listed five objects and described their curses, and as Chloe was about to list another cursed object, Lucas stopped her.

"I have a feeling that the stories of cursed objects will be as long as the series 'How I met your mother' and Detective Gordon and I actually need to get back to work," Lucas told them.

"Of course," Nicki replied with a slight grin. "Lizzy is probably ready to come back down anyway; however, before you two go, you two should know that cursed objects are totally indestructible."

"That's good to know," Lucas was only able to get out.

"Wait a minute," Laila requested. "Chloe, when you first came in, you were telling Nicki that something broke."

"Yeah, I thought my brothers and I had tracked down one of those cursed objects that had gotten back out into the world," Chloe began. "Melanie can sense when an object is cursed though and when I brought the object in to be stored, Melanie was insisting that the object wasn't cursed. I was certain that the object—which was a camera—was cursed, so we took it out back to see if it can be destroyed, and it took very little effort to destroy."

"Interesting," Lucas replied. "Anyway, Detective Gordon and I need to get back out there."

"Alright; take care," Nicki told Lucas and Laila.

"Take care," Lucas and Laila echoed.

"See you later," Melanie said as Jason and Chloe echoed Lucas and Laila.

Lucas glanced at Melanie before he and Laila walked away.

"I wonder if I can find the correct Sheldon Samson in a Google search if I look him up," Chloe commented as Lucas and Laila were leaving the store.

"If he's hiding his killings then locating him might not be enough to find out what he's using to kill people," Melanie pointed out.

"True, but I need to try," Chloe said.

"Chloe, if you would like, you can use my computer to do your search," Nicki told her while pointing towards her desk on the mid-level balcony. "The internet speed is good."

"Alright," Chloe replied before moving towards the stairs.

"Melanie, go tell Lizzy that she can come back down," Nicki requested.

Melanie nodded before following Chloe up the stairs.

During the passing minutes, Chloe did her search for Sheldon. Lizzy returned to the lounging area. Melanie stepped up behind Chloe and watched what she was doing over her shoulder. Nicki continued reading the daily paper and Jason continued to put out the smaller clocks where there was room.

During Chloe's search, she looked at five webpages and/or Facebook pages belonging to five different Sheldon Samson before finding the correct one.

"Found you," Chloe commented while looking at his large photo.

"That's him?" Melanie rhetorically questioned. "His eyes look worn and sad."

"Yes, well, that's definitely him," Chloe replied before reading what the webpage had to say about Sheldon.

Melanie read over Chloe's shoulder and learned that Sheldon was in his late fifties and was a family photographer in Queens, New York. He owned his owned studio next to a large park. His operating hours were from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M., and then again from 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, and his reviews were from mediocre to excellent.

"There's not much information on Sheldon," Melanie commented.

"There's enough information here for me and my family to find him," Chloe replied before moving the mouse and clicking on the print option.

"How old was Sheldon when you first encountered him?" Melanie asked as the printer began to print.

"He was in his late twenties then and since he looks to be in his late fifties or early sixties today, the curse isn't giving him other people's youth," Chloe replied. "Which is what I thought the curse did."

Sheldon's photo was printing first and it was taking up the entire first page.

As Melanie watched as it was printing out, she told Chloe, "Sheldon's picture wants to tell me something. I can sense it from here, so I'll see what it wants to tell me as soon as it prints."

"I hope it has something useful to tell you," Chloe replied. "And how often can you get a psychic hit from a printout of someone's picture?"

"Not often, but it does happened from time to time," Melanie replied. "And if the photograph that was used is less than a month old, then the chances of me getting a psychic hit increases." Chloe looked at the monitor and slightly chuckled. "What?"

Chloe pointed to the date on the screen and said, "This photograph of Sheldon was taken and added to the webpage five days ago."

"I didn't notice that date," Melanie replied just before the printout of Sheldon's picture was finished.

Melanie took the printout as another page began to print and she fell into a trance as soon as she took it.

Seconds later, as Melanie came out of her trance, Chloe asked, "So what did that printout had to tell you?"

"It told me that you need to look for a light pink Then-and-Now photo frame—the kind that sits on a desk," Melanie replied.

"Wow, it's a photo frame that is cursed?" Chloe rhetorically asked. "My family and I were definitely looking for the wrong object. Anyway, did you see anything else?"

Melanie nodded before saying, "Sheldon had bought the frame for his wife as a symbolic gesture thirty years ago while not knowing that it was cursed, but he soon found out what it did when he put a new photograph of his young wife in the 'now' frame and a new photograph of his mom in the 'then' frame. Their age switched and his wife died of old age within two days. Sheldon was about to smash the frame… or attempt to anyway, but his mom took possession of the frame before he could."

"So Sheldon's mom was the one who was killing?" Chloe questioned.

Melanie shrugged before saying, "My vision stopped when Sheldon's mom stopped Sheldon from attempting to smash the photo frame." Melanie showed Chloe Sheldon's photo printout and gestured towards his eyes. "But judging by his sad eyes, I would say yes."

"You see sad and worn out eyes, but all I see is a normal face," Chloe replied before she went to close the search engine.

Melanie again shrugged before saying, "Perhaps seeing sadness and guilt in someone's photograph is part of my psychic ability."

"Wait, do you see guilt in Sheldon's face also?" Chloe asked.

"No," Melanie replied. "Last week, Andi—my best friend—showed me a photograph of her uncle, and when I looked into his eyes, I saw guilt. However, the photograph didn't have anything to tell me, so I don't know what he was guilty about."

"Okay, well, thanks for your psychic assistance, Melanie, but I'm going to get going," Chloe said as she went to stand. "I need to tell my dad what's going on. So most likely we will be going to Queens, New York, this afternoon."

"Good luck," Melanie told Chloe.

"Thanks," Chloe said before stepping around Melanie and moving towards the steps.

Melanie followed Chloe down the steps and then asked Nicki what she wanted her to do.


	13. A New Beginning Part 8

**A/N** In the show Chicago Med Sarah Reese had left Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, but in this story she remained and she never had an issue with Dr. Charles.

* * *

 **A New Beginning Part 8**

Nicki ordered Chinese food for lunch and it was delivered just before noon. She ate at the desk that was next to the lounging area as Melanie, Lizzy and Jason ate in the lounging area.

When Nicki had only a few bites left of her food Claire (Nicki's half-sister) and Claire's friend (Dr. Sarah Reese from Gaffney Chicago Medical Center) entered the store.

Nicki stood while abandoning what was left of her food, and as Claire and Sarah were walking towards her, she—while casually taking a few steps towards Claire and Sarah—told them, "Welcome to 'Curious Goods'. Are you here for anything in particular?"

"Actually, I'm looking for Nicki—the owner of the store," Claire replied as she and Sarah joined Nicki in front of the display-case/counter. Lizzy and Melanie stood up and looked towards Claire and Sarah. Jason remained seated and attempted to look as best as he could without standing. Claire and Sarah glanced towards Lizzy and Melanie as Claire asked, "Are you Nicki?"

Sarah stared at Melanie as if to place where she had seen her before as Nicki replied, "I'm her. And who are you?"

"I'm your sister Claire," she said with a grin. She then gestured towards the woman beside her. "And this is my friend Sarah."

"Claire, hi," Nicki replied in a tone as if she didn't know what else to say. "It's nice to meet you… and your friend."

"And it's nice to meet you," Claire replied.

"It's nice to meet you," Sarah said in a polite tone and pulling her stare away from Melanie and onto Nicki. "Can I call you Nicki?"

"Sure," Nicki told Sarah. "So what brings you two to Chicago?"

"I'm actually from Chicago," Sarah said while glancing at Melanie. "I became friends to Claire and Emily through my grandparents. Claire and Emily and their parents used to live next door to my grandparents and I had spent a lot of summers at my grandparents' house while growing up."

"As for me coming to Chicago, I couldn't wait to meet you once Dad told me about you," Claire added. "So I took one of my vacation days and drove up here. I had planned to invite you and my niece to have lunch with me and Sarah, but I see that I'm a bit too late."

"Yeah," Nicki replied while glancing at her food. She glanced at Lizzy before facing Claire again and saying, "If you are going to be in Chicago all day, we could have dinner instead."

"Yes. Having dinner together sounds great," Claire replied. "Meanwhile, do you mind if Sarah and I hang out for a little bit. I would like to get to know you and Lizzy."

"Not at all," Nicki told Claire. She then turned towards the others and called out for Lizzy. "Are you done eating?"

"Not yet," Lizzy replied.

"Okay, well, come over here for a minute and then you can go back and finish," Nicki told Lizzy.

"'Kay," Lizzy said before making her way towards Nicki.

As Lizzy was stepping up, Nicki gestured appropriately while saying, "Lizzy, this is your Aunt Claire and her friend Sarah."

"You are a very pretty young lady, Lizzy, and it is very nice to meet you," Claire told her in an adult to child voice.

Lizzy acted slightly bashful while saying, "Thanks."

"Could I talk you into giving me a hug?" Claire asked.

Lizzy thought for a moment before nodding and moving towards Claire. Claire bent down to Lizzy's height and gave her a heartfelt hug.

When the hug ended, Lizzy told Claire, "I like your perfume. It smells good."

Claire grinned before saying, "Thank you, sweetie. Would you like me to squirt a little bit on you?"

"Mom, can she?" Lizzy asked while facing Nicki.

"Yes, but very little," Nicki replied.

Claire pulled out her perfume bottle from her purse and sparingly squirted Lizzy's wrists.

"How's that?" Claire asked Lizzy.

"I like it," Lizzy said as she smelled her wrists.

"Lizzy, you should go finish eating," Nicki told her. She then turned towards Melanie and told her to finish eating as well.

"I'm actually done eating," Melanie replied.

"Then go and grab a duster and dust off the curios," Nicki told Melanie as Lizzy was making her way back to the lounging area.

"Okay," Melanie replied before walking where the feather duster was kept.

"Nicki, do you like being a store owner?" Claire asked.

"I do," Nicki replied. "Being a store owner has its advantages."

"So you don't feel trapped here?" Claire asked.

"Why would I feel trapped?" Nicki asked.

Claire pursed her lips before saying, "Seven years ago—over my and my friends' high school graduation dinner—our not-quite-sober parents began a discussion about lost loves and why they ended. Nicki, your mom was Dad's lost love and Dad had shared that his relationship with your mom had ended because your mom believed that there were cursed objects…"

"Stop talking," Nicki quickly demanded before looking towards Lizzy. Lizzy didn't appear to have heard. "My daughter is in earshot of us and I don't want her to learn about…" Nicki turned back towards Claire and mouthed out, "Cursed objects." Nicki then said aloud, "Not for another ten years anyway."

"But you do believe that there are indeed…?" Claire mouthed out 'cursed objects' as she asked her questioned.

"Believe?" Nicki began rhetorically. "Believe would indicate that there's doubt and I have absolutely no doubt about those curios."

"You are an intelligent woman, Nicki," Claire began as Melanie was walking towards her, Nicki and Sarah with the feather duster. "In fact, Dad told me this morning that you actually have a law degree. So help me to understand this. How can a highly educated person as yourself be so superstitious?"

"I very much know how this sounds; hell I very much know how I sound when I talk about it, but I'm not keeping those curios locked away because of some superstition," Nicki replied.

"How are the curios…" Sarah mouthed out the word 'cursed?' before she continued to asked, "Do they simply give a person bad luck?"

As Melanie began her cleaning, she started with the curio closest to the front door and began dusting it.

Nicki moved closer to Claire and Sarah while saying loud enough for only them to hear, "Those curios either take lives or urge the possessors of those curios to take lives and for each life taken, the possessors get something in return."

"And what is that?" Sarah quickly asked. "What do they get in return?"

Nicki shrugged before saying, "It depends on the curio. Some give money of some value, some give beauty, some give fame and some give whatever your heart desires… just to list a few. Regardless to what one gives you, it only gives it to you after it or you had taken a life, so I won't be demonstrating what one of those curios does."

"I definitely don't want a demonstration if you need to take a life first," Sarah replied. "But how did these curios get out in the world?"

"Thirty-eight years ago—when my Great-Uncle Lewis had owned this store—he imprecated the curios that he had acquired and then he sold them," Nicki began. "However, he wasn't the only store owner who imprecated his merchandise. Two nights ago I learned of other objects out in the world that my mom and Jack never knew about."

"How would a person imprecate objects?" Sarah asked in a tone as if to genuinely understand.

"My Great-Uncle Lewis was a practicing sorcerer and a coven leader to a devil-worshiping coven and he had literally made a pact with the devil," Nicki replied. "Then five years after he made that deal guilt caught up with him and he attempted to renege on that deal and the devil killed him for it."

"What you're telling me sounds like a plot to a supernatural movie," Sarah told Nicki.

"Yes, I'm perfectly aware as to how it sounds," Nicki replied. "And if it wasn't for the fact that you and Claire had been told about the curios before coming here and had brought it up, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"I brought it up because I feel that once upon a time, you had wanted to be a lawyer; not a store owner, and your superstition has gotten you trap here," Claire replied bluntly.

"Once upon a time, I did want to be a lawyer, Claire, but this store or the responsibility of this store isn't what killed that desire," Nicki replied.

"Then what did kill your desire to become a lawyer?" Claire asked.

Nicki pursed her lips for a moment and then—while whispering and mouthing out words referring to Lizzy's dad, death and cursed curios—shared, "Matthew… Lizzy's dad and I went through law school together. We both passed the bar, and soon after that Matthew was killed. I was devastated with grief to say the least. I then learned that I was pregnant and Mom convinced me to move back here, and I moved back with very little convincing. Anyway, once I was home, I didn't have the heart to continue as a lawyer as planned without Matthew, so I helped Mom out here. Then Mom died in a car accident and I inherited the store. Of course I could have made arrangements with Jack about someone else taking over as store owner and custodian to those cursed curios, but I didn't want anyone else doing it. Being here as the store owner was what I wanted then and it's what I want even today. So I'm not trapped. I'm right where I want to be."

"Okay," Claire replied in a surrendering tone and manner. "I won't bring up or suggest that your superstition has you trapped here again."

Nicki amusingly grinned before saying, "I would appreciate it if you didn't."

"Nicki, out of just wanting to know, how can you tell the difference between a normal object and one that had been…" Sarah mouthed out, "cursed?"

While again whispering and mouthing out the words that she didn't want Lizzy to accidently hear by any acoustic anomaly, Nicki replied, "My Great-Uncle Lewis had kept a record of every cursed curio he sold, so my mom and Jack exclusively went after those curios; however, to determine if something was truly cursed, cursed curios or even cursed objects cannot be broken or destroyed, no matter how hard you try."

"And that is why you hide them away," Sarah said in an understanding tone.

"That's why," Nicki replied as the door to the store opened.

Nicki, Melanie, Claire and Sarah looked towards the door at the moment when Miles and Lori entered.

"Good afternoon, Miles; Lori," Nicki told them. "What can I do for you today?"

"Actually we came in to thank Melanie," Miles replied while gesturing towards Melanie.

"Thank me for what?" Melanie quickly asked.

"Thanks to your forewarning about Keith—my twin brother—I was prepared to tell Mrs. Keen about him when she called," Miles replied.

"So did you get the job?" Melanie asked.

"Well, I didn't get the job that I was applying for because people might confused me for Keith, but Mrs. Keen had another position to fill that she did hire me for," Miles replied. "The starting salary is about twenty-five cents less, but at least it's a job. So thank you. If it wasn't for your psychic ability I would still be unemployed."

"You're a psychic?" Sarah asked Melanie.

"I am," Melanie replied cautiously.

"So you can tell me my future right now?" Sarah asked.

"As a rule—with the occasional exceptions to that rule—I can't simply look at a person and see that person's future," Melanie corrected. "I need triggers to spark a vision and the most successful trigger I have is by touching people or objects. Also I can't control what I see or when I see it." Melanie held her hand over a ceramic lion that was next to her as she continued to say, "However, by holding my hand over an object by a few inches I can sense if the object will cause me to have a vision."

"Will you get a vision from the lion?" Sarah asked as she gestured towards it.

"No," Melanie said while dropping her hand. "The lion has nothing to tell me."

"Would you get a vision of me if you take hold of my hand?" Sarah asked while holding out her hand.

"I won't know until I come into direct contact with you or hold my hand inches from you," Melanie replied.

"I'm very interested in seeing if you can get a vision," Sarah told her while continuing to hold out her hand. "So I'm game if you are."

"I'm game," Melanie replied while taking a step towards Sarah.

Everyone was quiet for the few seconds that it took for Melanie to step up to Sarah. Melanie didn't hesitate to take hold of Sarah's hand, and once she did, she fell into a trance.

A concern expression came quickly over Sarah's face when Melanie appeared catatonic while standing.

Sarah turned towards Nicki, but before she could say anything, Melanie moved to rub her eyes.

"Melanie, did you get a vision?" Sarah asked.

"I was given a symbolic vision; one that I definitely can't make sense out of," Melanie said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Okay, what did you see?" Sarah asked.

Melanie stopped rubbing her eyes and dropped her hand as she said, "I saw ravens and rats and a frighten dragon that was randomly causing fire in several directions. As the ravens and the rats scatter into the night because of the flames, you and others follow the cartoon monkey to safety."

"Are your visions always symbolic as that one was?" Claire asked Melanie.

"My visions of past events are never symbolic, but my visions of future events have a fifty percent chance of being symbolic," Melanie replied. "And so far, I haven't been able to decipher a symbolic vision before one passes."

"So you want me to believe that I, along with others, will be caught in a fire and our savior is a cartoon monkey?" Sarah questioned.

"Well, as far as I know, the cartoon monkey could be a person that looks like a cartoon monkey or… or even a person dressed up as one, but yeah," Melanie replied.

"No offence to you, Melanie, or to you, Nicki, but I do not believe in the supernatural," Sarah replied.

"Oh, the supernatural is real," Lori replied as she stepped a little closer.

"Yes, well, the subject of the supernatural can be debated for a long time with no actual person winning that argument, so I'm going to withdraw from this debate," Sarah replied as the door to the shop opened again.

"Nicki, I see that you are getting customers in," Claire began as two elderly women, two middle-age women and a middle-aged man stepped through the door. "So Sarah and I should go."

"Claire, as long as you don't attempt to convince me that I should hand off this store to someone else, you're welcome to visit anytime," Nicki told her. "And that goes for Emily as well."

"I would like that," Claire said with a grin. She then waved. "See you later."

"I'll see you later," Nicki replied.

Sarah glanced at Melanie as she and Claire walked away.

Once outside and in Claire's Jeep Grand Cherokee, Claire asked Sarah, "So what do you think."

"Obviously your sister believes in the supernatural, but so do a lot of people," Sarah replied.

"Yes, but she hides objects away while thinking that they are cursed," Claire retorted.

"And as long as she is not endangering her life or the life of others while doing it, she could hide away anything she wants," Sarah replied. "I'll talk with Dr. Charles about what Nicki is doing, but I'm certain that unless Nicki comes to us, which I highly doubt given her level of conviction to her belief, there is nothing that anyone can do."

"Well, at least she's not dragging Lizzy into her superstitious world," Claire replied while starting her Jeep. "That's something. Anyway, do you still want to go to that steakhouse?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Sarah said.

Fifteen minutes later, after Nicki's customers had left, Lizzy asked Nicki if she could go to the park.

Nicki didn't want Lizzy to go to the park unsupervised and after considering her options she asked Melanie, "Would you mind taking Lizzy to the park and let her play?"

"I don't mind," Melanie assured Nicki.

"Yay," Lizzy delightfully uttered.

"Thank you," Nicki told Melanie with a grin.

"I'm happy to do it," Melanie told Nicki.

Nicki's grin deepened and as if it was an afterthought, she said, "Oh and take your phone with you; just in case one of us needs to call the other."

"Right," Melanie replied before moving to the desk next to the lounging area.

Once at the desk, Melanie opened the lower drawer and then—without taking out her purse—pulled out her phone from her purse.

"Got it," Melanie said as she was shutting the desk drawer. As she stuck her phone in her back pocket, she continued to say, "I'm all set."

"Now, Lizzy, you listen to Melanie when she tells you to do something," Nicki told her.

"I will," Lizzy claimed.

"Okay, go and have fun, sweetie," Nicki told Lizzy.

"Bye, Mom," Lizzy told Nicki before she made her way to the front door.

"I love you," Nicki called to Lizzy.

"I love you," Lizzy echoed as she continued towards the front door.

"We'll be back later," Melanie told Nicki before following Lizzy to the door.

The closest park from 'Curious Goods' was a ten-minute-walk, and once Melanie and Lizzy got there, Lizzy immediately joined the two boys at the swing, while taking the final swing.

Melanie moved to a nearby bench that was big enough to sit three adults, removed her phone from her back pocket, sat down on one of the ends and watched Lizzy as she played.

Within ten minutes of Melanie watching Lizzy, Timothy (Timmy) Bradshaw (a seventeen-year old man who had a crush on Melanie) stepped up to her with a basketball in his hands and said, "Hey, Melanie."

Timmy stood 5' 11". He was slender and unmuscular, and as Melanie looked up, she said, "Hey, Timmy. How are you?"

"I'm good," Timmy replied. "And you?"

"I'm good," Melanie replied.

Timmy gestured towards the nearby basketball court and asked, "Would you like to demonstrate those winning moves that you did during those high school games?"

"I can't right now," Melanie replied before gesturing towards Lizzy. "I'm watching my boss's daughter for my boss."

"You have a job?" Timmy asked in a tone as if the concept of Melanie having a job was incomprehensible.

"I do," Melanie replied. "And why is that surprising?"

"I never known of you having a job, so I assumed that you were going to wait until after you had graduated high school before looking for one," Timmy replied.

"Okay, well, I never had a job before because before May 31st, I was fifteen," Melanie replied.

"Wait," Timmy requested. "You're not eighteen?"

"No," Melanie replied. "Did you honestly think that I was eighteen and a sophomore in high school?"

"I thought you had flunked a couple of grades," Timmy replied.

"I had recently turned sixteen; I have never flunked a grade and I'll be a junior when school begins again," Melanie said in a tone as if to clarify any misunderstanding.

"Okay," Timmy said in a tone as if certain facts were now clear. "So where do you work?"

"'Curious Goods' and today is my second day working," Melanie replied before gesturing towards Lizzy. "Lizzy's mom is the owner."

"I've been in there once," Timmy shared. "Most everything that that place sells look like things that were around before my parents were born."

Melanie gave Timmy a curious look before asking, "You do realize that 'Curious Goods' is an antique store?"

"I thought the store was simply a thrift shop," Timmy replied.

"No; it's not simply a thrift shop," Melanie told him.

Timmy nodded before looking up at the slightly dark overcast and saying, "I heard a bad thunderstorm is coming our way. It's supposed to start this evening."

"I heard that too," Melanie replied while glancing towards the slightly dark overcast.

"I hope you're not afraid of a little thunder," Timmy jokingly said.

"No; I'm not scared of thunder," Melanie replied.

"That's good," Timmy replied.

Melanie and Timmy were quiet for a moment before Timmy asked, "So how late do you work?"

Melanie shrugged before saying, "Until five; unless Nicki lets me go early."

"Is Nicki the owner's name?" Timmy asked.

"Yes," Melanie replied. "So do you work?"

"My dad has me working part time for him," Timmy replied. "He owns 'Edward's Donuts.'"

"I never been in there, but I know where it's at," Melanie replied.

"I'll be working there tomorrow morning and I'll give you a deal if you come by," Timmy said.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't know if I will be able to get there tomorrow," Melanie replied.

"Okay, well if you ever come in and I'm there, I'll give you a deal," Timmy replied.

"Okay, thanks," Melanie replied.

"So what kind of movies do you watch?" Timmy asked.

Melanie shrugged before saying, "Mostly all genres, but I guess my favorite genres are horror, supernatural and fantasy. My least favorite is action, but as long as the movie has an actual plot along with the action I'll give the movie a chance."

"Do you like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' or 'Vampire Diaries?'" Timmy asked.

"I haven't really seen those shows, but for the most part, I do like shows about vampires," Melanie replied. "I have had watched the entire 'Twilight' series."

Timmy frowned slightly before saying, "I watched the first 'Twilight' movie. I didn't care for sparkling vampires. I like the traditional story plots where vampires burn up in direct sun light; holy water burns them; can't see their reflection; killed by a wooden stake through the heart and have to be invited in before they can enter into someone's home."

"As long as the show is good, I really don't care what the rules on how to hurt or kill a vampire are," Melanie replied.

"I own the complete series to 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' shows, comic books and what fiction novels they have out," Timmy shared.

"Wow, you must really be a fan of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'" Melanie replied.

"I am," Timmy said proudly. "I could lend you season-one if you would like."

Melanie thought for a second before shrugging and saying, "Sure. If you want to lend me season-one, I'll watch it."

"Okay," Timmy said with a pleasant grin. "I'll bring it to you before you leave 'Curious Goods.'"

Melanie nodded before asking, "So what other shows to you like?"

"That's a long list," Timmy warned.

Melanie grinned slightly before gesturing towards the opposite end of the bench and saying, "Then, Timothy Bradshaw, have a seat and tell me the top ten of your favorite shows."

Timmy nodded with a grin before sitting on the bench and listing the titles to ten TV shows that each included supernatural, fantasy and drama in each show.

When Timmy was done, Melanie listed the top ten shows that she liked. The conversation then shifted to music.

The overcast darkened during Melanie and Timmy's conversation and within moments after the conversation shifted to favorite hobbies, it began to sprinkle.

As the first ten droplets of rain hit Melanie's skin, one after the other, the tint of her surroundings—to only her perspective—shifted to a deep greenish color.

Melanie—while slightly startling Timmy—abruptly leaped to her feet and vigorously looked around; however, before she could make sense to what she was seeing, her surroundings—again to only her perspective—returned to normal.

"Melanie, what's wrong?" Timmy quickly asked.

"Did you see something odd about our surroundings a moment ago?" Melanie asked as she continued to look around.

"Your abrupt movement is the only odd thing that I saw," Timmy said while standing. "What did you see though?"

Melanie considered sharing what she saw for a moment before saying, "It's not important. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me."

"I would like to ask you something without you getting upset," Timmy quickly told Melanie.

"Okay," Melanie replied in a cautious tone. "Ask."

"Do you suffer from schizophrenia?" Timmy asked.

"There are people who we both know who believe that I do, and I'm certain that you are hearing them talk about me," Melanie began. "But despite popular belief, I do not suffer from schizophrenia."

Melanie heard the skepticism in Timmy's voice as he replied, "Okay. But if you did, I would still like for you and me to be friends."

"I appreciate that, but I don't," Melanie replied out of politeness. She then put her palms up as if to feel the rain fall. "Anyway, I should get Lizzy home before it begins pouring down."

"Can I walk with you?" Timmy asked.

"If you would like; sure," Melanie replied.

Melanie turned towards Lizzy and was about to call out to her, but stopped when she saw that Lizzy was approaching her.

"It's raining," Lizzy told Melanie while frowning.

"Yes, and I have to get you home before it starts raining any harder," Melanie told her before gesturing in the direction they needed to go. "So let's go."

Lizzy sighed before she, Melanie and Timmy began walking towards 'Curious Goods.' As they walked Timmy began a casual conversation; however, Melanie only contributed to the conversation out of politeness.

When Melanie, Lizzy and Timmy were four minutes from the store, Nicki realized that it was raining and called Melanie to find out if they were still in the park.

"We are walking back now and we are just a few minutes away. Okay. Bye," Melanie said before ending the call.

Timmy picked up the conversation from where he had left off as Melanie was sticking her phone back into her back pocket. Melanie's only reaction was taking a patient breath.

As Melanie, Lizzy and Timmy were reaching the store, Timmy told Melanie, "I'll go home now and grab season-one of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', and I'll be back within thirty minutes."

"I'll be here," Melanie said with a polite grin.

"See you later," Timmy said with a wave.

"See you later," Melanie echoed before Timmy could turn and walk away.

Without giving Timmy another thought, Melanie and Lizzy entered the store.

As the minutes slowly passed, the rain switched from a sprinkle to a moderate down pour. So Timmy wouldn't get soaked when he dropped off season-one of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he drove his mom's car to 'Curious Goods.'

As the afternoon passed the down pour continued. Nicki allowed Melanie to leave for the day at 4:00 P.M. and once Melanie got home, she went to her room and started episode-one of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' to play.

'Curious Goods' had remained slow since it had begun raining so Nicki allowed Jason to leave at 5:00 P.M. There was no customers between 5:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M., and Nicki decided to close for the day when Claire—while alone—stepped through the door at 6:05 P.M.

Minutes later, after Nicki had finalized her workday, Nicki, Lizzy and Claire left the store, climbed into Claire's Jeep and traveled to a nearby restaurant.


	14. A New Beginning Part 9

**A New Beginning Part 9**

In Mount Olympus, Lilith, Kingston, Dayton, Aliza, Rory and the six half-mortals (Ambrose, Goran, Kellogg, Thanos, Isadora. Kristabella) who had the ability to transmogrify raw materials into useful items were brought before Zeus. Athena and Hermes stood by the door to the room.

Zeus appeared as a middle-age man who stood 6' 4" and was somewhat muscular. He had long gray hair and a gray beard. His eyes appeared black and he had a fairly dark complexion.

Zeus was quiet at first as he looked into each of their eyes, and then, with a slight booming voice, he told them, "All eleven of you had willfully aided in the distribution of unbridled magic within the mortal realm. Normally crimes of this nature, I would punish each and every one of you by sending all of you to the pit and having buzzards eat your innards over and over each day for an eternity; however, Athena had convinced me to punish all of you in another way.

"Unbridle magic has been released, it cannot be stopped at this point and it will soon completely envelop the mortal realm. Most half-mortals believe that this will begin splendid times for them. Migrating back to the mortal realm as demigods had been the aching desire for most of them and for you eleven. Congratulations; the eleven of you will return to the mortal realm, but you won't be returning as demigods, but as guardians and your time as guardians will be indefinite.

"As guardians, you eleven will ensure that a single mortal doesn't get so magically powerful that he or she would enslave the other mortals. You eleven will provide guidance to the ones who practice magic so they won't accidently harm themselves or others. You eleven will intervene and to put a halt to magical fights between individuals and magical wars between factions when they break out. You eleven will investigate and solve crimes that had been committed by mortals using magic.

"However, let me be clear about something. You are not to punish mortals who commit crimes with magic. You are to contact Athena and point her towards the guilty person or persons and then she will dole out the punishment if punishment is needed, and you eleven will do all of this as gifted mortals.

"Now I can guess what you eleven are thinking," Zeus continued. "All of you are wondering what a gifted mortal is. If you ask a mortal he or she would say that it's a person with extraordinary talents. The talents that you all will possess will consist of strength, intelligence, agility, endurance and the magical capability to get the job done.

"Of course each of you has all of these traits now and then some, and I suspect that all of you are wondering what the punishment of this is. All of you will be sent to the mortal realm, but not as yourselves. Young mortals between the ages of seventeen and thirty die almost every day from various of reasons. The Fates know who are dying, how they are dying and when. So with the Fates' assistance, the eleven of you will be taking over the bodies of eleven young mortals on the brink of their deaths. Those bodies will be immediately acclimated to your needs. If the body was injured without a wound that would result in an absolute instant death on the time of that person's death, it will be healed enough to sustain life and it will keep on healing at a pace faster than normal.

"In fact, you will always heal faster than normal; however, since all of you will be inhabiting mortal bodies, fatal wounds that would result in absolute instant death—such as decapitation or torso being cut in half—will kill you as well. Also all of you will age like any other mortal and you will die of old age around eighty-years-old. No matter how you die though or when, you will again take over another young adult's body on the brink of that person's death.

"Of course each of you has the choice of not becoming a guardian, but whoever doesn't become a guardian will be sent to the pit. Now with that said, whoever wants to become a guardian, follow Athena."

Without saying anything, Athena turned and walked out, and to no surprise to Zeus or Hermes, all eleven followed Athena from the room.

When the last of the eleven left the room, Apollo—a man who stood 6' 2" and muscular—entered and stepped up to Zeus. Hermes stepped up as well.

"Father, I checked as you had asked and you're right," Apollo began. "The laws of physics in the mortal realm will undergo a significant shift within one of their generation."

Zeus nodded before saying, "Thank you, Apollo."

"Father, will we be providing assistance to the Mortals?" Hermes asked.

"I still want us to remain as myths to the mortals, so any help we provide will be done anonymously and only if the mortals can't adapted to the coming change," Zeus said. "In fact, the half-mortals aren't going to like this, but nothing changes. They are to remain in the Underworld for now; except for the eleven that we are sending to the mortal realm."

"Yes, Father," Apollo and Hermes replied before bowing in respect to Zeus.

As Apollo and Hermes were leaving the room, Hermes told Apollo, "Athena and I met another one of your mortal descendants, Brother."

"Oh?" Apollo questioned. "Where did you see him or her at?"

"In the city known as Chicago," Hermes replied. "Her name is Melanie and she doesn't know it, but she's a powerful seer."

"How young is she?" Apollo asked.

"She's not quite an adult yet, so she has plenty of time to fully develop her gift to her maximum potential," Hermes informed.

"I can't mentor her myself; Father won't allow it, but I might be able to give her subtle nudges in the correct direction to find a mentor," Apollo replied.

"Very subtle," Hermes replied. "Athena or I wasn't able to fool her when we first met."

"Hmm. I'll start small and increase it if I need to," Apollo said.

"That would be best," Hermes replied.

Hours later in Chicago, as the rain continued at a steady pace, Melanie went from watching 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' to playing the board game 'Clue' with Andi, Billy and Nathen in her family's kitchen.

Across town, Sarah Reese, April Sexton, Kelly Severide, Sylvie Brett and a few others each showed up separately to a housewarming party at Dr. Peyton Simmons's new apartment. Sarah, April Sexton and Sylvie knew Peyton from Chicago Med. Kelly had gone to high school with her and the others were random friends that she made over the years.

Peyton's apartment was on the sixth floor to a seven-floor apartment building, and as the party was taking place in Peyton's apartment, three members of the street gang the 'Ravens' and four members of the street gang the 'Rats' went to fisticuff within the hallway on the second floor.

A thirty-three-year-old man who stood 5' 10" and a thirty-three-year-old woman who stood 5' 8" (Noah Weber and his wife Paige) and their thirteen-year-old daughter Samantha (AKA Sam, or sometimes Sammie) cowered in fear within their second-floor apartment (apartment 205) as the skirmish took place just outside their apartment door. Sam, unknown to herself and to her family, had the ability of pyrokinesis, and when hard pounding started up at the wall near her front door, a flame began licking the same wall right afterwards.

"Damn it. They started a fire," Noah uttered. As Sam's fear increased, so did the flames. "We have to get out of here."

"What about those men fighting?" Sam asked in a trembling voice and shaking as if she was cold.

"Most likely they ran off after starting that fire and we need to get out of here too, sweetie," Paige replied. "So let's go."

Sam slightly hesitated before moving quickly for the door. Noah and Paige were right behind her.

In Peyton's apartment, Derek—one of Peyton's guest—turned with a plate of chips that were covered with nacho cheese dip in his hand at the moment Kelly had stepped by and accidently smashed the chips and cheese dip into Kelly's chest.

As most of the chips and cheese dip stuck to his chest, Kelly uttered, "Seriously!"

Peyton saw the incident, and as Derek was genuinely apologizing to Kelly, Peyton stepped up and said, "Well, Kelly, that's one way of getting you out of your shirt."

"Funny," Kelly replied. "You wouldn't have a clean shirt that would fit me, would you?"

"When I was unpacking earlier, I saw that I had one of Paul's old T-shirts," Peyton replied. "You and Paul are about the same size, so the shirt should fit you."

"Okay, sold," Kelly replied. "Take me to the shirt."

Peyton nodded and as she turned towards the bedroom, she said, "Follow me."

Kelly followed Peyton into the bedroom and then watched as she pulled a T-shirt from a drawer. The T-shirt had the front side of 'Curious George' from head to toe on the front of the T-shirt and the backside of 'Curious George' from head to toe on the back of the T-shirt.

As Kelly took the shirt from Peyton, he questioned, "Your ex-boyfriend wore 'Curious George' T-shirts?"

"His nine-year-old niece had given him that during his last birthday," Peyton explained. "He never wore it, but I had worn it several times for a night shirt. That's why it was mixed up with my clothes." Peyton gestured towards the shirt. "Anyway, that's all I have that will fit you."

"Fine," Kelly replied. "It's better than nothing."

"Says you," Peyton replied in a playful tone. "I personally wouldn't mind if you ran around without a shirt."

As Kelly pulled off his messy shirt, he replied, "In high school, you rejected me. Remember? You said that I wasn't your type."

"In high school, my type was rowdy and dangerous and unhealthy for me," Peyton replied. "I have outgrown that phase, and I now see that the person who I should have been with back then and even now is someone like you. With that said, are you seeing anyone?"

Before Kelly could answer, heavy pounding on the apartment door was heard.

"It sounds like your party might have pissed off a neighbor," Kelly commented before putting on the 'Curious George' T-shirt.

"Everyone, out of the building! Now!" a man demanded loud enough for Kelly and Peyton to barely make out.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Kelly rhetorically asked.

"An excellent question," Peyton replied as she moved towards the bedroom door.

As Peyton and Kelly respectively left the bedroom, Peyton demanded to know, "What's going on?"

"Some guy is going through the hall and banging on doors and demanding for everyone to get out of the building," one of Peyton's guest replied.

"That's a cartoon monkey," Sarah urgently said as she pointed to the T-shirt that Kelly was wearing. "You are wearing a shirt with a cartoon monkey on it."

"I am," Kelly replied in a cautious tone. "And why does this shirt disturb you?"

"Earlier today, a teenage girl claiming to be a psychic had told me my future," Sarah began. "She claimed to have had a vision of ravens and rats and a frighten dragon. The frighten dragon was to have caused a fire, and I, along with others, was to follow the cartoon monkey to safety."

"The rivaling gangs, the Ravens and the Rats both reside near here," Sylvie informed. "I don't know anything about a frighten dragon though."

"Listen up, everyone," Kelly announced. "I believe we were told to leave the building because the building is on fire. I'm a Chicago fireman. So everyone follow me and do what I say. I'll get everyone to safety."

When Kelly left the apartment, Peyton and her guests followed.

As Kelly met up with others from other apartments, he explained to them who he was and what was going on, and they too followed Kelly.

Minutes later—with no real difficulty for Kelly and minor difficulty for the others—Kelly led the others outside into the rain. He then reentered the building to find others and lead them out.

The flames had spread throughout most of the first, second and third floors, and was threatening the fourth floor. As Kelly was escorting another group of people from the building, four police cars and three fire trucks from the nearby fire department were pulling up.

Onlookers and escapees from the fire had their hands covering their ears because of the loud sirens. The onlookers and escapees soon dropped their hands when the sirens quickly tapered down to nothing.

As the firemen leaped from their trucks, they saw and recognized Kelly. Kelly recognized them as well and approached the captain of the group.

The captain saw him coming and when Kelly was close enough to the captain, he made a verbal report of what he knew.

The captain nodded before turning towards his men and shouting out orders. The police officers stepped up to random people and began asking questions about what they knew.

When one of the officers stepped up to Noah, Paige and Sam, Noah and Paige told the officer about the skirmish that had taken place outside their apartment.

As the minutes passed, the firefighters made sure that the occupants of the building were all out and safe and then gain control of the fire before it could reach the sixth floor.

After the fire was put out, the onlookers each went about his or her business and the occupants to the building began making arrangements for places to stay.

April Sexton volunteered to let Peyton stay the night at her place, and after a slight hesitation, Peyton agreed.

Except for Kelly, the firemen, and the police, everyone went their respective ways. With the police looking on and providing assistance where they can, Kelly and the firemen went to investigate the cause of the fire.

Kelly and the firemen began in the hallway outside Noah and Paige's apartment, but they couldn't find proof that the fire began there. They then branched out to find a definite origin point that would explained the fire.

As the minutes slowly turned into an hour, no true origin point could be found to explain the fire and the captain decided to turn the investigation over to arson investigators.

During a drizzly Saturday morning, around 9:00 A.M., Melanie was up and taking a shower.

Outside of 'Curious Goods', Kelly—while dressed in what he wore around the firehouse—parked his own car in the first available parking space closest to the store. Sarah was with him and once Kelly shut off the engine, they got out into the drizzling rain. After taking several steps at a slightly quicker pace than their usual stride, they entered the store.

As Kelly and Sarah were walking up to the display-case/counter Nicki greeted them with, "Good morning. You're Sarah; my sister's friend."

Lizzy lifted her head up from the lounging area and looked towards Nicki, Sarah and Kelly.

"I am," Sarah replied. "And the fireman with me is Kelly Severide."

As Kelly was noticing Lizzy, Nicki nodded and asked, "So what can I do for you two today?"

"Yesterday, Melanie had gotten a vision of me being caught in a fire," Sarah told Nicki.

"Yes, I remember," Nicki replied.

"I dismissed what she had said and I know now that I shouldn't have," Sarah replied. "The apartment building that I was in last night had caught fire. Kelly was there as well, and from a mishap that someone else had caused, Kelly had to change his shirt. The shirt that he had changed into was a T-shirt that had the image of Curious George on it."

"The cartoon monkey," Nicki said.

"Yes, and like Melanie had told me, the others and I followed him to safety," Sarah said. "Anyway, Melanie had mentioned that the frighten dragon was the one who started the fire and we are here to talk with Melanie about the dragon she saw in her vision."

"Okay, well, Melanie isn't working today," Nicki replied.

"Would it be at all possible if you gave us her address?" Kelly asked.

"I won't do that, but I will call her and find out if she could drop by real quick," Nicki replied.

"And if she can't drop by let her know that we'll be willing to go to her," Kelly added quickly.

Nicki pursed her lips before nodding and picking up the store phone.

Moments after Nicki dialed the number, Nicki said, "April, hi, is your daughter there. She is? Okay, can you have her call me when she gets out? Thanks, bye." As Nicki was ending her phone call, she said, "Melanie is currently in the showers."

Kelly nodded before asking, "Out of curiosity, what's Melanie's last name?"

"Cahill," Nicki simply replied.

"Wait," Sarah demanded. "Melanie's mom is April Cahill?"

"Yeah," Nicki replied cautiously.

"Do you know what Melanie's dad's name is?" Sarah asked.

"It's Stephen," Nicki replied.

"I knew I recognized Melanie yesterday," Sarah replied. "She's April and Stephen's daughter."

"I take it that you know April and Stephen," Kelly commented.

"Stephen works in the human resource department at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and April is that tall nurse who works in the ICU during second shift," Sarah replied. "And I saw Melanie and Melanie's two brothers with their parents two years ago at the walk-a-thon fundraiser. However, Melanie wasn't as tall as her mom two years ago either."

"Melanie is as tall as her mom?" Kelly asked.

"April and Melanie are both 6' 0" tall," Nicki shared.

"And how old is Melanie?" Kelly asked.

"She recently turned sixteen," Nicki replied.

"Melanie might end up taller than 6' 0" before she stops growing," Kelly replied.

"According to Melanie, her mom had stopped growing at the age of seventeen," Nicki again shared.

"Melanie is going to be a tall woman by the time she's twenty-one," Kelly commented.

"She's already a tall girl," Sarah replied as the door opened and the bell clang.

Nicki, Sarah and Kelly faced the well-dressed thirty-five-year-old man and the fifteen-year-old young man who entered the store. There clothes were slightly wet from the drizzling rain.

"Welcome to 'Curious Goods.'" Nicki began. "How can I help you?"

The man and the teenager were quiet as they walked towards Nicki, and as they approached, the man said, "My name is Theodore Clayborn the Second."

"Good morning, Mr. Clayborn. I'm Nicki Foster—the store owner. How can I help you today?"

Theodore pulled out his smart phone and brought up a snap-shot of fine decorative antique dishware. As he went to show Nicki the snap-shot, he asked, "Within the past week, has anyone sold you dishware that looks like that?"

"No," Nicki honestly replied. "The last dishware I bought was about two weeks ago and the plates and glasses didn't look anything like that."

Theodore nodded, as if to half-heartedly accept Nicki's response, before asking, "Have you bought a grandfather's clock within the past week?"

"No," Nicki again honestly replied. "I haven't had a grandfather's clock in here for about a month.

"Have you bought any paintings?" Theodore asked.

"A local artist does sell his paintings through my store on consignment and last Monday, he had given me three of his paintings to sell," Nicki replied before gesturing. "His paintings are hanging up on those pillars."

Theodore took the time to look at the paintings before saying, "Nice paintings for a local artist, but they aren't what I'm looking for. Anyway, have you bought any jewelry within the past week?"

"I had bought jewelry from someone last Tuesday and it's over there," Nicki said as she gestured towards the display case that was a few steps away.

Theodore stepped up and looked over the jewelry for a few seconds. When he faced Nicki again, he said, "I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Ms. Foster."

"You're fine, Mr. Clayborn," Nicki replied. "You didn't waste my time."

Theodore nodded before asking, "Would you know where any other antique stores are… or stores that would also buy what I had mentioned are?"

Nicki told Theodore the four stores that she knew about that would buy and sell used items and antiques.

When Nicki failed to mention a store, Kelly said, "You should try Leo's Thrift shop, Mr. Clayborn. I heard rumors that the owner will buy stolen items."

"Am I that obvious that I'm trying to track down items that were stolen from me?" Theodore asked.

"Yes, sir, it's a bit obvious," Kelly replied. "Were you away on vacation when you got robbed?"

"Vacation-slash-business trip," Theodore replied. "We returned last night to find our house broken into, and the items I'm looking for had been in my family for four generations. Anyway, thanks, everyone, for your assistance."

"You're welcome," Nicki and Kelly replied as the phone began to ring.

As Theodore and the teenager were leaving, Nicki answered the phone.

"It's me, Melanie," she replied. "Mom told me to give you a call. Do you need me to work?"

"No, I don't need you to work," Nicki replied. "But Sarah is here with a friend of hers and they really want to talk with you."

Melanie amusingly chuckled before saying, "I bet what I told Sarah yesterday had come true and now she or the person she's with wants me to get another vision."

"They want to ask you some follow up questions about the vision that you had yesterday," Nicki informed.

"I don't have any more to add to what I had already said," Melanie replied.

"That's fine, but it won't hurt you to come down here and talk with them," Nicki replied.

"Alright, I'll be down as soon as I can," Melanie replied.

"Okay, bye," Nicki said before the two hung up. Nicki then looked towards Kelly. "Melanie will be here soon."

Kelly nodded before starting a casual conversation. Seven minutes later, the conversation came to an abrupt end when Melanie opened the door and causing the bell to clang. Melanie carried an umbrella, so her clothes weren't damp from the rain and she was wearing blue jeans, a purple T-shirt, her pink tennis shoes and her watch.

"Good morning, Melanie," Nicki told her as she closed her umbrella.

"Good morning," Melanie echoed as she moved to join the others. As she looked at Kelly, she continued to say, "I was wondering why I was asked to come down, but I think I know why."

"Why do you think that you were asked to come down here?" Sarah asked.

"He wants to know what I know about the fire and he probably suspects that I caused it," Melanie said bluntly. "Well, I don't know anything about it or where it took place, so…"

"Melanie!" Kelly uttered to get her attention. "First off, hi, my name is Kelly; and secondly, yes, I do want to know what you know about the fire, but I don't suspect that you caused it."

Melanie pursed her lips for a moment before saying, "I really don't know anything, but what I had told Sarah last night. In fact, until Nicki called me down, I wasn't sure if my vision had even come true yet."

"Your vision did come true," Sarah replied. "Kelly and I both went to the same housewarming party yesterday. While we were partying at our friend's sixth floor apartment, the street gang the 'Rats' and the street gang the 'Ravens' had gotten into a skirmish on the second floor. During the party on the sixth floor, Kelly had to change his shirt and the shirt he had changed into had 'Curious George' from head to toe on the shirt. The fire broke out when Kelly was changing into that shirt, and as you predicted, all of us followed the cartoon monkey to safety. Also as you predicted, the two street gangs scattered into the night. Now the only piece of your vision that we wasn't able to piece together is the dragon. Can you tell us more about the dragon?"

Melanie thought for a brief moment before saying, "My vision yesterday was symbolic and the only thing I saw of the dragon was that the dragon was frightened and its fear is what had caused the flames."

"You said that only your visions of the future could be symbolic, but never the visions of past events," Sarah reminded Melanie.

"Yes, that's true, but I would have to go to where the fire was to get a vision of the fire," Melanie informed.

"I'm willing to take you there if you are willing to go," Kelly told her.

Melanie shrugged before saying, "Okay, sure, but I can't guarantee that I will get a vision when you take me."

"If the dragon you saw is an arsonist then that person needs to be stopped, so I'll risk the chance that you won't get a vision," Kelly said.

"Alright, when do you want to take me?" Melanie asked.

"Now is good for me," Kelly replied.

"Alright," Melanie replied before lightly waving at Nicki.

Nicki waved back before Melanie, Sarah and Kelly moved to leave the shop.

Once outside, Kelly pointed to his nearby car and told Melanie, "You should get in back on the passenger side. I have a box of shirts and trousers on the driver's side."

"Okay," Melanie replied as she moved towards the passenger side.

Since Kelly's car wasn't far from the store, Melanie carried her umbrella without opening it and then hopped into the back seat on the passenger's side.

Kelly and Sarah got in when Melanie did and once everyone had their seatbelts on, Kelly drove away.

The conversation from 'Curious Goods' to Peyton's apartment building was mostly Kelly asking Melanie questions about herself. Melanie didn't think that the questions were too personal so she didn't hesitate to answer.

No one was at the apartment when Kelly pulled up, and as he was parking, he commented, "Good. We're here before the arson inspectors."

"I guess they wouldn't approve of you bringing in a psychic," Melanie replied.

"They would think that I had gone insane," Kelly said while shutting off the engine.

"I'm not sure that we haven't gone insane," Sarah said. "I'm a doctor. I'm not supposed to believe in the supernatural."

"You're a doctor?" Melanie rhetorically questioned as if she was sensing something.

"I am," Sarah replied. "I work in the same hospital as your parents."

"You're a psychiatrist," Melanie said with a bitter expression on her face. "You came into the store yesterday because you were secretly diagnosing Nicki. You and Claire believe Nicki is delusional."

"I was asked to evaluate Nicki," Sarah was only able to get out.

"And are you evaluating me right now?" Melanie quickly demanded to know.

"No-no, I'm not," Sarah quickly replied. "You told me what was going to happen last night and it happened."

"I'm just a good guesser, and if you don't believe me, then just ask my dad," Melanie quickly told Sarah. "That's what he believes me to be anyway."

Without waiting for a reply, Melanie pulled open her door, got out and roughly closed the door.

As Kelly watched Melanie as she walked towards the building, he sarcastically said, "Okay, this is going to be fun."

"Science teaches us that there's a logical answer for everything, but I can't find a logical answer for what had happened last night," Sarah said.

"Well, once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth," Kelly said as he went to open his door.

"Sherlock Holms; Really?" Sarah questioned as she too opened the door.

Once Kelly and Sarah were out of the car and their doors were shut, Kelly replied, "I actually believe in the supernatural, so let's see if Melanie is the real deal or just a good guesser."

"Let's go," Sarah said as she and Kelly walked behind Melanie by several steps.

Melanie stepped up to the entrance and placed her hands on the door.

As Melanie remained still for a few seconds from getting a vision, Sarah and Kelly caught up with her.

Melanie's vision ended as Sarah and Kelly stepped up beside her, and as she glanced at them, she said, "I had gotten a vision of something that everyone already knows—that the Rats and the Ravens were in the building."

"Okay, well, let's go inside," Kelly replied. Melanie opened the door and stepped in. When Melanie stopped and looked at Kelly, Kelly gestured to the stairs. "We're going to the second floor, to apartment 205."

Melanie nodded before climbing the steps. Sarah followed Melanie as Kelly followed Sarah.

After reaching the second floor, Melanie slowed her pace as she watched a ghostly reenactment of the events prior to the fire.

In reality, the drywalls that separated the second floor apartments and the hallway were mostly gone. Only the support beams and most of the wooden frames between drywalls were left; however, Melanie was seeing the walls as they were before the fire.

Ghostly images of Paige and Sam—while carrying grocery bags towards apartment 205—were walking slightly in front of Melanie. Melanie could only see Paige and Sam from behind and they seemed apprehensive as they were watching three ghostly men as one of the men was preparing himself to knock on the door to apartment 207.

The three ghostly men were each wearing a jacket that had an image of a raven on the back of the jacket and before the lead man could knock, a man—from behind Melanie—uttered, "Donte, leave her alone." Melanie glanced back and saw four ghostly men while each wearing a jacket that had an image of a cartoon rat, while standing around Kelly and Sarah. "She's protected by us."

"Is that right?" Donte questioned in an unconvincing tone.

"Are you okay, Melanie?" Kelly asked as Melanie was facing forward.

"Hush," Melanie demanded as she watched as Paige went as fast as she could to get her apartment door open. Melanie had a good view of Paige's face.

"So who is going to protect you four from us," Donte continued.

"You can't take us," Melanie heard a second member of the Rat gang say.

The three men from the Raven gang abandoned apartment 207 and as they were turning their full attention to the Rat gang, Paige had opened the door.

Paige and Sam rushed into their apartment and when their door closed, the visual part of the ghostly reenactment ended, but Melanie was still able to hear the skirmish between the Ravens and the Rats as if she was behind a closed door.

When Melanie looked around, as if looking for something, Kelly asked, "Melanie, what's going on?"

"I just encountered my second residual haunting, and the…" Melanie was only able to get out.

"Wait," Sarah interrupted. "Are you telling me that you can see ghosts?"

"Yes, I can see ghosts; no, I'm not delusional, and no, I am not seeing ghosts haunting this apartment building right now," Melanie quickly replied. "Residual hauntings are not real ghost hauntings. In fact, residual hauntings are also referred to as psychic imprints and you can think of psychic imprints as recordings, and those recordings are caused by traumatic or highly emotional events." Melanie gestured towards the remnants of apartment 205. "And I think that the woman who lives… or had lived here yesterday was the one who psychically imprinted this hallway. She was also the same woman who I saw six months ago when I saw my first residual haunting."

"Okay," Kelly said in an uncertain tone. "Why do you believe that the woman you saw was the one to psychically imprint the hallway?"

Melanie took a breath before saying, "The woman and a teenage girl were in the hallway while carrying bags of groceries when the Raven gang and the Rat gang encountered one another and my visual part of the residual haunting ended when the woman and the teenage girl dashed into their apartment. The audio part of the residual haunting ended when I answered you."

"Okay, well, the police had taken everyone's statement yesterday," Kelly began before gesturing towards the remnants of apartment 205. "The three who lived here were Noah Weber, his wife Paige and their thirteen-year-old daughter Samantha, and according to them, the fire broke out along the wall that was once here. However, there is no reason why a fire would break out here unless the fire was purposely set. But there is no evidence that a fire was purposely set."

"And this is why you brought me here," Melanie replied before stepping towards the rubble.

Melanie bent down and picked up a chunk of broken dry wall and had immediately fallen into a trance.

Melanie's vision didn't last long and when Kelly saw her move, he asked, "You saw something, didn't you?"

"What I saw didn't make sense," Melanie replied.

"What did you see though?" Kelly asked.

"I saw that the fire started on its own," Melanie replied. "However, this piece of wall has my arms breaking out with goosebumps."

"Why would a piece of wall make your arms break out with goosebumps?" Sarah asked.

"Answering that question, Doctor, could get me thrown into a seventy-two-hour hold by you," Melanie replied.

"Supernatural?" Sarah questioned. "You believe that the fire was caused by something supernatural."

"That or witchcraft," Melanie replied.

"Okay, I do believe in psychics and the possibility of ghosts," Kelly began. "But witchcraft is a bit of a stretch for me."

"Witchcraft does exist, but I could keep touching things and see if I can get a vision that would explain this fire that you and Sarah can accept," Melanie suggested.

Kelly gave Melanie a curious look before gesturing and saying, "Sure. Try to find a better explanation."

Melanie nodded before stepping into what was left of the apartment.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	15. A New Beginning Part 10

**A New Beginning Part 10**

Melanie looked over the apartment for anything useful to pick up, but before she could find anything, Capt. Oliver Cobb uttered, "Lt. Severide!"

Melanie, Kelly and Sarah turned towards Oliver and as Melanie stepped closer to Kelly, Kelly replied, "Capt. Cobb. Were you the one to inspect the building and determined the cause of the fire?"

"I am," Oliver replied. Melanie glanced for only a moment at Janis (a ghost of a twenty-year-old woman who was at Oliver's side). "What are you and those two women doing here?"

Before Kelly could answer, Melanie replied, "Lt. Severide saw me entering the building and he followed me in to tell me to get out, and Dr. Reese is my therapist. She followed me in just before Lt. Severide did. In fact, Lt. Severide had come in to tell me and Dr. Reese to leave."

"I'm an excellent poker player, young lady," Oliver began. "I know bullshit when I hear it. Now tell me why you three are really here."

"You're a lousy poker player, baby bro," Janis told Oliver. Even though Oliver didn't face Janis, Melanie saw that he had reacted to her comment. "You only win at poker because I tell you what the other players have."

Kelly spoke when Janis had spoken. "Sir…"

"Kelly, wait," Melanie uttered also while Janis had been speaking. Once Janis was done speaking, Melanie continued to say, "We should tell Capt. Cobb the truth. He'll believe us."

"Okay," Kelly began in a skeptical tone. "Sir, this is Melanie and she's a psychic. Yesterday, hours before this fire, she had told Dr. Reese that she was going to be caught in a fire."

"Both Kelly and I were here last night when the fire broke out," Sarah added.

"And since Melanie had predicted the fire, I brought her here while hoping that she could tell us how the fire got started," Kelly continued.

"Young lady, why would I believe that story?" Oliver asked Melanie.

"Because like you, I can see and hear your sister," Melanie replied as she looked directly into Janis's eyes.

"You can see me?" Janis asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Oliver said as if to drown out Janis.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Melanie countered. "And you use her to cheat at poker. However, that's not healthy for your sister. Your sister needs to move into the light."

"I don't know why, but I'm unable to move on," Janis said.

"I don't what Janis to move on anyway," Oliver said. "I'm comfortable with her in my life."

"So there is a ghost of your sister with you?" Sarah asked Oliver.

"There is," Oliver replied as he glanced towards Janis.

"If you can't move on, it means that you have unfinished business with the living," Melanie told Janis. "Do you know what that could be?"

"I don't," Janis lied, and Melanie had sensed that lie.

Melanie pursed her lips instead of accusing her of lying. She then asked, "Do you know how long you have been dead?"

"I've been dead for thirty-five years," Janis replied.

"Are you in your fifties, Capt. Cobb?" Melanie asked. "And if you are, you certainly don't look it."

"I'm forty," Oliver quickly replied. "Janis is fifteen years older than me and I was five when she died."

"Oh," Melanie replied. "Anyway, Janis, how did you die?"

"In a car accident," Janis replied. "Oliver died in that same accident too, but the paramedics were able to revive him."

"Were you driving the car, Janis?" Melanie asked.

"I was," Janis replied.

"Was the accident your fault?" Melanie asked.

"It wasn't," Oliver quickly said in Janis's behalf. "My parents assured me that the others involved in the accident are to blame. Anyway, this discussion needs to come to an end."

"I'm just trying to figure out what is keeping your sister earthbound," Melanie replied.

"I realize that," Oliver replied. "But you are standing in a possible crime scene."

"I know you suspect arson, but I get the sense that no one had intentionally started the fire," Melanie replied. "Unfortunately, I can't see what did."

"Well, I can't put your six-sense into my report, so I still have to investigate this as a possible arson," Oliver replied. "Therefore you, Kelly and Dr. Reese need to leave."

"Melanie, it's time for us to leave," Kelly told her.

"Fine," Melanie reluctantly agreed. "Before I go though, Capt. Cobb, you must know that ghosts can get angry and resentful the longer that they are earthbound, so you need to find out what is keeping your sister earthbound before she begins resenting you."

"I would never resent Oliver," Janis claimed.

"I have to admit that thirty-five years is a very long time without you getting angry or resentful towards your brother; however, I can't help to think that you are only remaining civil and lucid because he can see, hear and talk with you. If something would happen and he loses his ability to see and hear ghosts then I'm certain that you would become less civil and lucid."

"I love my brother; I love him very much, so I would never get angry and resentful towards him," Janis replied as Melanie reacted as if she had gotten a sudden headache; followed by the information of Janis being Oliver's biological mother coming to her.

"Melanie?" Sarah questioned. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay in a minute," Melanie replied. "I sometimes get sudden headaches."

"Have you seen a doctor about it?" Sarah asked.

"A doctor can't help me," Melanie informed. "Most of my headaches are caused when knowledge about someone will suddenly appear to me. The more knowledge I receive the worst my headache and my headache is going away quickly."

"You received knowledge about someone here?" Sarah asked.

"Yes; about Capt. Cobb," Melanie began before looking at Janis. "His full name is Oliver Wendell Cobb and he was born on July 3rd in the city of Indiana. He will be forty-one this year and he had a home birth."

"That's correct," Oliver replied. "I was born at my grandmother's house."

Melanie stared at Janis as she said, "I had a very vivid image of your mom holding you after you were born, Capt. Cobb. Your mom loved you very much and still does."

"I'm aware of how much my mom loves me," Oliver replied. "Anyway you three need to leave."

"Melanie, let's go," Kelly told her.

"Nice meeting you, Capt. Cobb; and you too, Janis," Melanie told them.

"Nice meeting you, Melanie," Oliver and Janis echoed.

"Captain," Kelly told him with a wave.

"Lieutenant," Oliver replied.

Kelly nodded before walking away. Melanie and Sarah followed.

During the walk down the stairwell, Sarah commented, "I am a psychiatrist. So how am I going to treat my patients properly when I'm wondering if one of them is in fact delusional or if he or she is actually seeing a ghost?"

"So you do believe in ghosts now?" Melanie asked Sarah.

"Well, you and Capt. Cobb were either talking to a ghost named Janis or you two were putting on a hoax, and I don't believe it to be a hoax," Sarah replied. "Although, I guess you two could have been sharing a shared delusion, but I don't think that you two meet the criteria to have a shared delusion."

"I can see that the scientist in you is still struggling to accept that the supernatural does exist in the world," Melanie replied.

"Of course I'm struggling," Sarah uttered. "Believing in the supernatural goes against everything I've been taught."

"I'm willing to bet that you aren't the first doctor to have had adjusted his or her belief," Melanie commented.

"Probably not," Sarah agreed unenthusiastically.

"I know I have to readjust my belief of Capt. Cobb," Kelly shared.

"Why's that?" Melanie asked as they were approaching the entrance to exit the building.

"Capt. Cobb is known for being the captain who goes off to be alone and talks to himself," Kelly shared. "Now I know that he's not talking to himself. He's either talking to his dead sister or another ghost."

Melanie pursed her lips for a moment to keep the truth from slipping out before saying, "Most likely."

Outside, the rain had stopped, but the dark clouds indicated that the rain could commence again at any moment.

Melanie left the apartment building first, followed by Sarah.

Once Kelly was leaving the building, Paige and Sam approached him from his blind-spot. Noah was at work—a cashier for a local department store.

"Excuse me," Paige quickly uttered, which drew everyone's attention.

"Hi," Kelly told Paige as he, Melanie and Sarah gathered near Paige and Sam. "Aren't you one of the residents to the building?"

"Yes, we lived in apartment 205," Paige replied.

"You're Mrs. Weber," Kelly verbally took note of. Paige nodded. "So what can I do for you, Mrs. Weber?"

"I was wondering if everything in apartment 205 is beyond salvageable," Paige began. "Or can somethings be salvage."

"I just came from that area, Mrs. Weber, and I'm sorry to say that everything inside your apartment is a total loss," Kelly replied.

"Damn," Paige muttered. "This is the second time in three months that my family had lost everything in a fire."

"You and your family were caught in a fire three months ago as well?" Kelly asked.

"We were and we loss everything then too," Paige said.

"What started the fire then," Kelly quickly asked.

"Rats had gotten in and were nesting in the walls near some live wires," Paige began. "One of them then had gotten tangled up in those live wires and had caused a short, which had caused the fire."

"I'm glad we had to leave that place," Sam commented. Melanie sensed something about Sam as Sam continued to say, "I hate rats."

"Sam has a rat phobia," Paige replied.

"I have something that can help relieve your phobia," Melanie claimed as she moved towards the parking spaces. "I'll get it from the car."

"What's in my car that will help Sam?" Kelly asked.

"You'll see," Melanie replied as she dashed towards Kelly's car.

Kelly turned towards Sarah and asked, "Do you have any idea of what she's doing?"

Sarah shrugged and shook her head.

After Melanie reached the car, she emptied the box of shirts and trousers that were in the back seat onto the seat and then closed the box up as if there was something in it.

As she carried the box over towards Kelly, Sarah, Paige and Sam, Kelly asked, "What are you doing with that?"

"Well, I heard that the best way for a person to get over a fear is for that person to face his or her fear, so I brought over your pet rat," Melanie said while making scratching noises with her lengthy fingernails and making it sound as if there was something alive in the box.

"There's a rat in that box?" Sam fearfully asked.

"Melanie," Kelly began in a patient tone.

"Get that damn rodent away from my daughter," Paige demanded and drowning out Kelly.

"Your daughter needs to overcome her fears," Melanie insisted as she continued at a quick pace towards Sam and reaching to open the lid.

"No; keep it away from me!" Sam screeched and back up a step.

"You need to overcome your fear," Melanie again insisted as she continued towards Sam.

"No!" Sam again screeched followed by the box erupting in a flame.

"There it is," Melanie uttered as she tossed the burning box to the ground.

"What in hell is wrong with you?" Paige demanded to know. Kelly went to stomp out the flame. "You bring that box over; scaring my daughter while claiming that there's a rat inside and then you catch it on fire."

"Your daughter is the one who is catching things on fire, Mrs. Weber," Melanie informed.

"My daughter isn't catching anything on fire," Paige countered.

"You and your daughter are both psychics," Melanie informed. "I don't know what your psychic ability is other than creating psychic imprints, but your daughter's ability is starting fires with her mind when she's frighten."

"What in hell are you talking about?" Paige demanded to know.

"Mrs. Weber, I'm a psychic too," Melanie began. "Thoughts, images and strong feelings will overwhelm me sometimes. Also I get dreams of people I haven't met and places I never been to. Anyway, when you and Sam were talking about her fear of rats, I had the strong feeling that she was the one who had caused the fire, and her trigger to start a fire is fear. I doubted that you would have believed me if I had simply told you about Sam's psychic ability, Mrs. Weber, so I had to show you, and that is why I frightened Sam as I did."

"Sam and I are not psychics and you are to stay away from me and my family," Paige quickly told Melanie.

"Until you address this issue, Mrs. Weber, this apartment fire won't be the last serious fire that Sam will cause," Melanie retorted. "And so far, no one has gotten hurt."

"Stay away from us," Paige again demanded. Melanie made a surrendering gesture. "Come, Sam."

As Paige and Sam were walking away, Melanie told Kelly and Sarah, "That could have gone better."

"Well, you did traumatize her daughter with, thankfully, an empty box," Kelly replied.

"I needed to show Mrs. Weber what her daughter was doing," Melanie defended.

"I get it and once Mrs. Weber calms down and thinks over what had happened, she might get it too," Kelly replied. "Meanwhile, I need to drop you and Sarah off at your respective destinations and then get to work."

Melanie nodded before she, Sarah and Kelly walked towards the car. Kelly carried what was left of his empty box to toss away later.

After taking a few steps towards the car, Melanie told Sarah, "You had been quiet since we left the apartment building."

"My mind certainly hasn't been quiet," Sarah quickly replied. "My entire believe system has been shattered and the reason why I had gone into psychiatry is a lie."

"You went into psychiatry to help people," Kelly told Sarah.

"I'm not sure how much help I can be now," Sarah commented. "For now on, I'm going to be looking at my patients and wondering if the supernatural is at work here."

"I wish I knew of a way to help you, Sarah, but I don't," Melanie told her.

"It's fine," Sarah replied. "I'll figure it out even if I have to figure it out one patient at a time."

"Melanie, you had said that the residual haunting that you had seen inside was your second residual haunting within six months of each other," Kelly commented.

"I have only seen two residual hauntings, and yes, they were about six months apart," Melanie began. "And Mrs. Weber was in both of them."

"What was the first residual haunting about?" Kelly questioned.

"Mrs. Weber was in a 7-Eleven when it was being robbed," Melanie shared. "No one got hurt. The robber had his head wrapped in bandages, and after he took what he wanted, he left."

"I heard about that robbery," Sarah began. "That happened about a year ago; not six months ago."

"I read on the internet that residual hauntings can last for years… decades even," Melanie informed.

"I don't envy you," Kelly told Melanie.

Melanie slightly shrugged before saying, "Hopefully I won't step somewhere and see something too terrible."

"If you ever do, talking about it can help you to cope with it, and you can call and talk to me if you need to," Sarah earnestly said.

"Okay, thanks," Melanie said in a tone as if she was caught off guard by the offer.

"You're welcome," Sarah replied.

They then turned quiet as they approached the car.

In Lansing, Michigan, a twenty-year-old woman had been rushed to the hospital after being involved in a private plane crash on a straight stretch of road. The woman's boyfriend (the pilot of the plane) died instantly in the crash.

At a hospital in Lansing, the woman's heart had flat-lined for a second time and after several failed attempts to resuscitate her while using a defibrillator, Dr. Black declared the woman dead; however, before Dr. Black could get more than five steps from the body, Lilith took over the woman's body and gasped for air.

"Doctor, wait," one of the nurses uttered. "She's alive and waking up."

Dr. Black again rushed to the woman's side and introduced himself to her. "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"I can," Lilith weakly replied.

"Can you tell me your name?" Dr. Black asked.

Lilith had all of her memories of being Lilith and a half-mortal, but she didn't know anything of the body that she had taken over, so she pretended to think about who she was.

Lilith hesitated for only a brief moment before saying, "I don't know my name."

"That's perfectly fine," Dr. Black replied. "Temporary amnesia can be expected with your type of injury."

"What happened?" Lilith weakly asked.

"You were in a private plane crash, but everything will be alright," Dr. Black began. "You're at Lansing General and we will take good care of you."

Dr. Black then spouted out what tests he wanted done and what medicine to put Lilith on. Everyone then went about their respective duties.

In Queens, New York, around 1:15 P.M. local time, Monte—with Chloe in the passenger seat and wearing her three-inch high-heel ankle boots—parallel parked his car rental in the closest parking space to Sheldon Samson's photography studio.

"Now what?" Chloe asked. "We can't very well go in and begin talking about his Then-and-Now photo frame without putting him on the defensive."

"Wait, putting him on the defensive is exactly what we need to do, but we need to do this over the phone," Monte replied before preparing to leave his parking space.

"What's your plan?" Chloe asked.

As Monte merged back into traffic, he said, "First, I'm going to go buy a Go-Phone so Sheldon won't get our actual phone numbers when I call him. Once I do call him, I'm going to tell him everything I know about that Then-and-Now photo frame. That should put him on the defensive and if I'm right about how he will respond, he will lock up his studio and go straight to where that photo frame is kept."

"And we will be right behind him when he does," Chloe added.

"Exactly," Monte replied.

It took Monte ten minutes to locate a store that sold Go-Phones. After paying for the phone and the minutes for it, he returned to Sheldon Samson's photography studio and parked in the closest available spot to the studio.

The number to the studio was on the window and easy to see from where Monte was parked.

After Monte dialed the number to the studio, an answering machine picked up on the third ring. Without leaving a message, Monte hung up and dialed again.

Monte dialed and hung up when the answering machine picked up four times. On the fifth try, Sheldon answered with, "You reached Samson Photography Studio, please hold."

"Don't put me on hold, Killer Samson," Monte quickly told him.

"What did you call me?" Sheldon inquisitively asked.

"I called you Killer Samson," Monte replied. "You had killed your first wife in 1990. So after all, Sheldon Samson, you are in fact a killer."

"Who is this?" Sheldon demanded to know.

"You can call me Mr. Yesterday, and your past has just caught up with you," Monte replied.

"Okay, I don't know what sick joke you are trying to pull…" Sheldon was only able to get out.

"Joke!" Monte uttered as if he was insulted. "This isn't a joke, Killer Samson. In 1990 you had bought a light pink Then-and-Now photo frame. That photo frame is cursed. By placing a new photograph of a young person in the Now frame and a new photograph of an older person in the Then frame, the curse will cause the two individuals to switch age, and the one who would get older would die of old age within forty-eight hours after the switch. I also know that your mother is the one who is using it, but it's time for that to come to an end. You have one hour to bring me the Then-and-Now photo frame or I'll go get the photo frame myself, and I can't guarantee your mother's safety if I have to get it myself."

"I don't know where you got your information, but you have been misinformed," Sheldon quickly told Monte.

"Enough with the bullshit, Killer Samson," Monte hissed in a tone as if he was insulted. "I will call back in one hour and give you instructions on what to do with the Then-and-Now photo frame and you had better followed them or I will take the photo frame myself; even if that means taking it from your mother's cold dead hands." Without giving Sheldon the chance to respond, Monte ended the call. He then told Chloe, "Now that the seed has been planted, let's see if it will sprout."

"Let's hope that it does," Chloe replied

Chloe and Monte stared at the door to Sheldon's studio for only five minutes before seeing Sheldon escorting his latest clients out and flipping the sign over to indicate that the store was closed.

Sheldon left his studio as well, two minutes after his clients had left, and after he locked up, he rushed to his Volvo.

Sheldon's car was parked in the same direction as Monte and Chloe's car rental and when Sheldon pulled out into traffic, Monte pulled out as well.

Monte kept his distance to Sheldon, and Sheldon led them to a homeless shelter.

When Monte dashed into the shelter, Chloe was right behind him.

Chloe took a few steps into the shelter before stopping and glancing around. She spotted Sheldon's backside fairly quickly as a young woman stepped up to him.

"Grandpa," the woman uttered as if to put on a show for an audience. "What are you doing here?"

Sheldon moved into whispering distance and what Chloe couldn't hear was Sheldon telling the woman, "Someone knows."

"Someone knows what?" the woman asked.

Chloe didn't hear the woman's question, but she saw and was able to read the woman's lips.

"A man called me and told me to hand over the light pink Then-and-Now photo frame or he was going to take it himself," Sheldon told the woman.

"You ran your mouth and now someone knows about it," the woman accused. "Who had you ran your mouth to?"

"No one," Sheldon defended.

"Sheldon," the woman growled in a warning tone. "Who had you told about the photo frame?"

"Mom…" Sheldon was only able to get out.

"You know better than to call me 'mom,'" she quickly told him. "You are to call me Teresa."

"Okay, okay, and I swear to you, Teresa, that I have told no one," Sheldon again defended.

"I know I didn't tell anyone, Sheldon," Teresa said. "So you had to have; otherwise, this man wouldn't have found out."

"The man said that the photo frame was cursed," Sheldon began. "In fact, he knew everything about the photo frame and how it works, and he knew about Jacqueline's death. And I swear to you that I didn't say a word to anyone."

"Wait," Teresa demanded. "Around thirty years ago, someone took a camera from you while claiming that it was cursed."

"You're right," Sheldon agreed. "It's been so long ago that I had forgotten about that."

"Yes, well, I'm willing to bet that the man who called you was the same man who had stolen your camera," Teresa replied. "At some point he realized that he grabbed the wrong item and now he's back…"

As Chloe was reading Teresa's lips, a forty-year-old man stepped up to her and said, "Welcome to 'Hope for a Better Tomorrow'. Everyone is welcome here, so come on in. My name is Trent."

"Trent, I'm actually here looking for my uncle," Chloe said as she focused on him. "But I don't see him. Anyway, who's that woman over there? She looks familiar to me."

"She's Teresa Kilgore. She and her mom take turns volunteering," Trent replied. "Last week her mom was here."

"Do they ever work here on the same day?" Chloe asked.

"Never," Trent replied. "In fact, never in the same week."

"So you really never have seen Teresa and her mom in the same room together?" Chloe questioned.

"I haven't, but there is no denying that they are mother and daughter," Trent replied. "In fact, Teresa could be Teri's clone."

"Teresa's mom's name is Teri?" Chloe asked as she noticed that Teresa was returning to the food line and Sheldon was walking towards her.

"She goes by Teri, but I think that her actual name is Teresa as well," Trent replied.

Sheldon was thinking hard about something and didn't appear to Chloe that he had heard Trent.

As Sheldon was stepping past Chloe and Trent, Chloe gestured towards the door and said, "Okay, well, as I said, my uncle isn't here, so I'm going to continue my search out there."

"If you show me a photo of your uncle, I could keep a look out for him; just in case he comes in after you leave," Trent quickly told Chloe.

"Unfortunately I don't have a photo with me," Chloe replied. "However, my uncle is sixty-three years old and short; shorter than me in fact. I'm 5' 5" without my boots on and he's 5' 4", but scrappy. He'll fight men twice his size and he has the scars to prove it. Anyway, he has a nasty scar across his nose and across his lip. So he'll be hard to miss even without a photo to refer too."

"So what is your uncle's name?" Trent asked.

"Fred… well Frederic Chase," Chloe replied.

"And what is your name?" Trent asked.

"It's Chloe," she replied.

"In case I do see your uncle, Chloe, do you have a phone number to where I can reach you?" Trent asked.

"My uncle knows my number," Chloe replied. "So just tell him to call me if you see him."

"What if he comes in and after I tell him to call you, he refuses?" Trent asked.

"Yes, that is a possibility, and although, Trent, you might be a terrific and honorable guy, I simply don't give my cellphone number out to people I have just been introduced to," Chloe began. "So I will have to chance it that my uncle won't refuse to call me."

"For the record, I am a terrific and honorable guy; although my ex-wife would argue the terrific part," Trent began. "In any case, I understand why you don't want to give me your phone number, and good luck with your search."

"Thank you," Chloe replied.

Before Chloe had a chance to walk away, Trent added, "Oh, and I'll be here until six this evening. So if you would like to come by again before then, I can tell you if I have seen your uncle."

Chloe nodded and said, "Thanks." She then glanced at Teresa before turning and walking away.

Moments later, as Chloe was opening her car door, Monte told her, "Hurry and get in. Sheldon is about to drive off."

"Let him drive off," Chloe replied as she was taking her seat and shutting her door. "The person we need to follow is Teresa Kilgore."

"Who's she?" Monte asked.

"She appears to be a woman in her early twenties, but she is in fact Sheldon's mom," Chloe replied. "However, she's pretending to be Sheldon's granddaughter, and she's working here as a volunteer."

"Wow, you learned all that in the short amount of time that you were in there?" Monte asked.

"I stepped in at the right time and I was able to see Teresa's lips when she was speaking to Sheldon," Chloe replied. "Anyway, we need to stake out the place and follow Teresa when she leaves."

"I'm not really set for a stake out," Monte replied.

"Okay, what do you need to get set?" Chloe asked.

"A bathroom," Monte replied. Chloe slightly chuckled before looking around. Monte gestured as he continued to say, "There's a Chinese restaurant down the road. I'll go there and buy something to snack on as well."

"Sounds like a plan," Chloe replied.

"The restaurant isn't far to walk, so I'll walk there and if Teresa leaves while I'm gone, you need to leave me and follow her," Monte said.

"Alright," Chloe agreed before Monte could open his door and step out.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	16. A New Beginning Part 11

**A New Beginning Part 11**

In the Chicago cemetery where Justin was buried in, around 1:00 P.M. local time, Melanie, Andi and Andi's parents carried umbrellas to keep from getting wet from the rain as they walked across the slightly muddy grass.

Justin's gravestone was a hundred feet from where Andi's dad had parked his car, and as they were approaching the gravestone, Melanie spotted Timmy, Tiffany (Timmy's younger sister) and their parents at a nearby gravestone.

Tiffany was fifteen-years-old. She had auburn hair and stood about 5' 8". Her and Timmy's dad and mom respectively stood 6' 4" and 5' 7".

"Sorry, Justin, that we're a couple of days late," Wendy said. "We wanted to be here on your birthday, but I couldn't get the time off from work. The woman who was supposed to have covered my duties at work went into premature labor Wednesday night. So I won't be able to take any personal time off for a few weeks…"

As Wendy continued to talk to the gravestone, Melanie leaned closer to Andi's ear and whispered, "Are you still dreaming about Justin?"

"I dreamed about him again this morning," Andi whispered back.

"But yesterday morning, you told me that you had dreamt that he didn't blame you for his death," Melanie pointed out.

"That's true," Andi simply replied.

"Did he come to you to remind you that you weren't to blame for his death?" Melanie asked in a hopeful tone.

"Before Justin died, he and I used to play board games all the time and last night, I dreamt that he and I were playing checkers," Andi replied. "It was nice. I missed doing that."

Melanie grinned and gave Andi a consoling hug.

Andi embraced the hug and when it ended seconds later, Andi wiped her teary eyes and asked, "So is he here?"

"He's not," Melanie replied. "I'm certain that he crossed over into the light right after he died."

Andi gave a weak grin and a nod before asking, "So how many ghosts are here—in the cemetery—that hadn't crossed over into the light?"

"At the moment I don't see any ghosts here," Melanie replied as she looked around. She stopped looking around when she spotted that Timmy was walking towards her. "Timmy is here and walking our way."

When Andi turned to look at Timmy, Timmy's presence also drew attention from Wendy and Chris.

"May I help you, young man?" Wendy asked Timmy as Timmy was stepping up.

"I know Melanie and Andi," Timmy began. "I just came over to say, 'hi.'"

"Mom, this is Timmy," Andi replied. "Melanie and I know him from school."

"Okay, well, Timmy. You, Andi and Melanie can socialize later and somewhere else," Wendy began. "We are here to pay respects to my son."

"Of course," Timmy replied before looking at Melanie as if he wanted to say something to her. He then glanced at Andi before he continued to say, "Bye."

"Bye," Melanie and Andi politely replied.

Timmy glanced at Melanie again before turning and walking away.

In Lansing, Michigan, Lilith was relaxing in bed next to Helen (her thirty-five-year old hospital roommate).

Helen had been watching 'Castle' episodes on TV when Lilith was pushed in, and after the initial introductions—at which Lilith proclaimed to have amnesia—Lilith and Helen watched 'Castle' while speaking very little to each other.

Lilith had only been relaxing in bed for ten minutes before Dr. Black stepped in. As he approached Lilith, he said, "Good news. You are no longer a Jane Doe. The police had found your car parked at the airport where you and your friend had left from, and inside the car, they found your purse, wallet and driver's license."

"That is good news," Lilith replied while attempting to sound as sincere as possible. "So who am I and where do I live?"

"Your name is Lora Anne Scott and you are from Kalamazoo, Michigan," Dr. Black replied. "Your parents have been notified and they are on their way here as we speak."

"Hopefully I can remember something when my parents get here," Lilith (Lora) replied.

"Yes, well, don't be discouraged, Lora, when you can't," Dr. Black replied. "I'm certain that your memory loss is temporary, but it can also take weeks… months even, before it returns."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lora said with a polite grin. She then said jokingly, "Unless I forget that too."

"A sense of humor," Dr. Black praised. "That's good to have during times like this… well that and a good attitude. Anyway, rest and I'll check back with you a little later."

"Thanks, Dr. Black," Lora told him.

Dr. Black nodded with a grin before walking away.

As Dr. Black was leaving the room, Helen told Lora, "From when I was ten to when I was thirteen, my family and I used to live in Kalamazoo. And before that we lived in Joliet, Illinois."

"Do you remember anything about Kalamazoo?" Lora asked.

"Pff, not really," Helen replied.

"Oh, well," Lora replied. "So how long have you lived in Lansing?"

Helen took a breath before answering Lora's question.

In Queens, New York, around 2:15 P.M. local time, while Chloe and Monte staked out the homeless shelter, Monte called Sheldon on the Go-Phone.

When Sheldon answered, Monte said, "I trust that you have the Then-and-Now photo frame, Killer Samson."

"I know who you are," Sheldon claimed. "Almost thirty years ago, you stole my camera. You took it because you thought that it was cursed."

"Killer Samson, do you or do you not have the Then-and-Now photo frame?" Monte quickly asked in a tone as if he was impatient.

"I do not and I will not get it for you," Sheldon replied.

"Just remember that I gave you the chance to do this where no one gets hurt," Monte replied before ending the phone call. He then told Chloe, "That should give him something to stew over for a while."

"Let's hope," Chloe replied as her phone sounded.

After reaching into her purse and pulling out her smart phone, she saw that the person calling was Manuel (her ex-husband).

Chloe took a deep breath before accepting the call and asking, "Manuel, what's up?"

"I would like to begin by saying that Julius is fine; however, he has been admitted to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center," Manuel told Chloe.

"Manuel, why is our son in the hospital?" Chloe demanded to know as she glanced at Monte.

"He was at the skate park, practicing his stunts; his stunt didn't go as planned and he landed extremely hard along his neck and head," Manuel replied. "He is sedated at the moment, so he's passed out. And the doctor said that it was a miracle that he didn't break his neck as to how he landed."

"I hate the day that we bought him his first skateboard," Chloe commented.

"Well, boys will be boys," Manuel told Chloe. "We can't watch Julius and Sophia every minute of every day to keep them from doing stupid things."

"I know, I know," Chloe said.

"Anyway, where are you and how soon can you get to the hospital?" Manuel asked.

"Manuel, I'm in Queens, New York," Chloe informed.

"Why are you there?" Manuel asked.

"Monte and I have personal business here," Chloe replied. "Anyway, I'll get home as soon as I can, but depending on how soon I can catch a flight back to Chicago, it will most likely be tomorrow before I can get home."

"Okay, well, I'll see you when I see you," Manuel said. "Bye."

"Bye," Chloe replied. She turned towards Monte, but before she could say anything, she and Monte were startled by someone tapping on the passenger window. "Jesus!"

Chloe and Monte looked at who was tapping and sudden awareness came across their faces.

"Athena," Chloe and Monte said in a tone as if she was a newly formed concept.

"But she took our memories of her and of Hermes," Monte replied as Chloe rolled down her window. "So how is it that we can remember her?"

"I'll ask her," Chloe replied as the window was half rolled down.

"I restored your memories of me and Hermes," Athena replied without giving Chloe the chance to ask the question.

"May I ask why?" Chloe asked. The window was fully open. "You did say that you couldn't take the chance for us to know about you."

"The situation has changed," Athena replied.

"In what way has it changed?" Chloe asked.

"Chloe, I know about the call that you had just received from your ex-husband," Athena began. "He had told you that your son was injured."

"He did," Chloe said in an uncertain tone. "What about it?"

"Chloe, your son didn't experience any miracle," Athena informed. "He had broken his neck and he had died."

"No-no," Chloe replied. "Manuel said…"

"I'm aware of what he had told you, Chloe, and to his perspective, he was telling you the truth and your son is alive," Athena replied. "But your son's soul has moved into the Underworld."

"What are you saying?" Chloe demanded to know.

"Chloe, the moment that your son had died, a half-mortal named Kellogg had taken control of your son's body and identity, and your son's broken neck was healed."

"So my son is possessed?" Chloe asked.

"This is not a possession," Athena replied. "A possession would be if a spirit took control of your son's body while your son's soul was still there. Your son died in a tragic accident and after your son's soul had moved on, Kellogg took control, and what Kellogg did is called a walk-in."

"So what can I do about it?" Chloe asked. "Can I do something to get my son back?"

"I'm sorry for your loss, Chloe, but today was your son's time to die and that was never going to change," Athena replied.

"My son was only seventeen years old," Chloe replied as tears filled her eyes.

"I'm aware of that and I'm truly sorry for your loss," Athena replied. "And with that said, I would like for you to help Kellogg."

"I don't understand," Chloe said while wiping her eyes as best as she could.

"Unbridled magic has been released into the mortal realm, which means a vast number of powerful witches and sorcerers will rise within the next twenty years," Athena began. "Kellogg and ten other half-mortals had played a part in making this happen. They were each captured and brought before my father for punishment, and their punishment is to be guardians. As guardians, their responsibilities will be teaching, policing and peace keeping for the magical community."

"Becoming a guardian doesn't sound like a punishment," Monte commented.

"Trust me, it is," Athena replied. "In twenty years, this world—your mortal world—is going to become extremely volatile and those eleven half-mortals are the ones responsible for creating it. So for now on it is their responsibility to make sure that unbridled magic doesn't cause this world to explode or implode."

"I still don't understand as to why Kellogg had to take over my son's body," Chloe replied.

"A part of the eleven half-mortals' punishment was that they couldn't come to the mortal realm as their half-mortal selves," Athena began. "And since they needed to be prepared now—now as in today—for what is to come within twenty years, reincarnation as gifted mortals wasn't an option either. Therefore, the solution that we—we being the Olympians—came up with, was for those eleven to take over the bodies of eleven young mortals on the brink of their deaths."

"And my son just happened to be one of those young mortals," Chloe commented.

"Yes, and again, I'm truly sorry, Chloe, for your loss," Athena replied.

"You could have not told me and let me think that my son didn't accidently die," Chloe pointed out.

"Yes, I could have?" Athena agreed.

"So why did you tell me?" Chloe asked.

"You would have seen a drastic change in your son's personality… a change that would deeply concern you," Athena began. "And with your knowledge of magic and the occults, you would have stood in Kellogg's way. So to answer your question, Chloe, I needed you to know, so you wouldn't interfere with what Kellogg has to do. Also Kellogg will be living out his life as if he has always been your son…"

"But he's not my son," Chloe snapped as her tears freely fell down her cheeks. "My son is dead and I have been robbed the right to bury him."

"Yes, we had robbed you and ten other families the right to bury your loved ones; although, you are the only one who is aware of it," Athena began. "And in about sixty years from now, we will rob eleven other families the right to bury their loved ones; however, the alternative is far worse than us robbing a few families of their rights. In any case, from here on out, Kellogg will be known as Julius, and with your support and assistance, his transition will go a lot easier."

"And if I refuse to assist?" Chloe asked as she again wiped the tears from her eyes as best as she could.

"That is absolutely your choice if you assist Kellogg or not, but you are not to interfere with him, and I will know if you do," Athena replied.

"I won't interfere, but I can't say if I will help or not," Chloe replied.

"Fair enough," Athena replied. "And if you need a funeral to get closure for your son's death, I can give you a vivid dream that you had attended his funeral."

Chloe pursed her lips as she thought about what she actually wanted before saying, "What I need is to hold my son again, but with Kellogg being inside my son's body, that can no longer happen."

"It can happen," Athena replied. "I can bring your son's soul here, or I can take you to your son."

"What do you mean that you can take me to my son?" Chloe quickly asked.

"Your son is in the Underworld and I can take you there," Athena replied.

"Don't I have to be dead to go to the Underworld?" Chloe asked.

"You will have to be a spirit to go there, and for mortals, there are two types of spirits," Athena began. "The most common spirit is what a person becomes after death and the second type of spirit is astral projecting spirit. Are you familiar with astral projecting spirits?"

"I'm familiar with the word 'astral projection' and its meaning, but I honestly didn't believe that a person could actually astral project," Chloe replied.

"It's a rare gift to have, but there are mortals who can astral project at will, Chloe, and almost every mortal has unintentionally astral projected at least once within his or her lifetime as he or she sleeps," Athena replied.

"Okay, well, I don't know how to astral project," Chloe replied.

"That's fine," Athena replied. "I can assist you with achieving astral projection, and to astral project again on your own, just close your eyes and remember my instructions."

"Okay," Chloe replied in a skeptical tone.

"Anyway," Athena continued, "as I said, for you to hold your son I can either bring your son's soul here or I can take you to your son, and whichever you decide, you will have to astral project. So how would you like to do this?"

"I'm not brave enough or adventurous enough to go into the Underworld," Chloe replied. "So you should bring Julius here."

"Okay, I will go and bring your son here," Athena replied. "He and I will see you soon."

"I'll see you soon," Chloe replied as Athena turned to leave.

As Athena was walking away, she faded from sight.

Without saying a word, Monte leaned over and gave Chloe a hug, and as soon as Chloe's face touched Monte's shoulder, she began to deeply cry.

As the seconds slowly ticked away to several minutes, Chloe soaked Monte's shoulder with her tears.

Athena returned after seven minutes of being gone. Chloe hadn't been looking, so when Monte saw Athena, he gently said, "Athena is back."

Chloe sat up in her seat and wiped away the tears as best as she could before looking. When she could only see Athena she looked around.

"Where's Julius?" Chloe quickly asked.

"He's beside me," Athena assured Chloe. "You will have to astral project before you can see and touch him. Are you ready for me to assist you to astral project?"

Chloe pursed her lips before nodding.

"Recline the back of your seat so you can lie back at an angle," Athena instructed, and then waited for Chloe to do so. "Good. Now face forward and close your eyes."

Once Chloe had her eyes closed, Athena hummed a melody that not only deeply relaxed Chloe, but relaxed Monte as well. Once Chloe was relaxed, Athena had Chloe recite a protective prayer that would protect her body from threatening spirits that might be lurking nearby; although Athena knew that there were none. Threatening spirits would always steer clear of the Olympians. After the prayer was said in its entirety, Athena guided Chloe's spirit into the astral plane.

After Chloe left her body and stepped onto the sidewalk, she looked back into the car to see herself.

"Now this is freaky," Chloe replied.

"It can take a little time to get used to," Athena replied. "And from here on out, the prayer that you had recited and the instructions I had given you for you to astral project, and the melody that I had hummed to relax you are now a permanent part of your memory. Most of the time though you won't need to remember the melody to astral project, but if you ever find yourself unable to relax enough to astral project, just think of the melody and it will relax you."

"Alright," Chloe said while she continued to stare at her body.

"Don't forget why you had astral projected, Chloe," Athena told her. "Julius is beside me."

"Yes, right, Julius," Chloe said as she swung around to look for him.

Julius—as a spirit—looked the same to Chloe. He stood 5' 9" and was athletically built.

"Mom, I'm very sorry," Julius told Chloe.

"Julius, the only thing you did was follow your passion and you should never apologize for that," Chloe replied.

"My passion had gotten me killed," Julius said.

"Although that is true, you still have nothing to be sorry for," Chloe told him before stepping up to him and giving him a heartfelt hug. As Julius embraced Chloe's hug, Chloe continued to say, "I love you very much, Julius, and I will definitely miss the hell out of you."

"I love you too, Mom," Julius replied as he continued to embrace the hug.

Chloe embraced Julius without either of them saying anything.

After a minute Athena said, "Chloe, it's time for Julius to return to the Underworld." Chloe didn't answer or respond to what Athena had said, and after a few seconds, Athena continued to say, "Chloe, it's time. I can force you back into your body and I will if I have to."

"Okay, okay," Chloe said while breaking the hug. "I just don't want to say goodbye."

"I understand, but you have to," Athena replied.

Chloe nodded before backing up a step.

"Julius, you will always be in my thoughts and prayers," Chloe told him.

"Bye, Mom," Julius said.

"Bye," Chloe replied.

"You should wake up now, Chloe, and to do that, focus on feeling your hands, arms, feet and legs."

Chloe focused on feeling her extremities and within a few seconds, she felt herself being pulled back into her body. When she woke, Athena and Julius were nowhere to be seen.

"Did you speak with Julius?" Monte asked.

"I did," Chloe replied. "I was able to hold him too, and I didn't want to let go."

"Even though we can't have a funeral for Julius, we can do something else to honor him," Monte told Chloe.

"Let's just focus on getting back the Then-and-Now photo frame for right now," Chloe said.

"Okay, sure," Monte said.

Chloe and Monte were then quiet as they staked out the homeless shelter.

In Chicago, Illinois, around 3:00 P.M. local time, the rain had once again stopped, but the dark clouds had remained and the weather forecast for Chicago was intermitting rain for the next twelve hours.

At a two-family apartment building, Paige and her friend Gail (a thirty-three-year-old woman who stood 5' 7") were sitting at Gail's kitchen table while Paige was describing the last twenty-four hours of her life. Gail lived on the second floor and most of her windows were open.

Gail's bedroom was the room passed the kitchen and it overlooked the backyard and the alley.

Luke (Gail's husband) was at work. Noah was still at work, and Sam was outside while kicking a soccer ball around in the alley with Byron (Gail and Luke's twelve-year-old son) and four of Byron's friends (three boys around Byron's age and a girl around his age).

When Gail heard that Paige and Sam were accused of being psychics, Gail asked, "Could it be possible that you and Sam are psychics?"

"We aren't psychics, Gail," Paige insisted.

"Well, by you having telekinetic ability would explain a few things," Gail replied.

"Like what?" Paige quickly asked.

"When you and I were seventeen, and we were in that court building so I could pay my parking fine, you were the one to press the up arrow for the elevator. You were looking at me when you pressed the button, so you didn't notice."

"I didn't notice what?" Paige asked.

"I never told you this, Paige, but that up arrow lit up while your fingers were still four inches from it," Gail claimed. "I got goosebumps when I saw what I did and then blamed the goosebumps on being cold. But I wasn't cold; I was scared that there was a ghost haunting the building. There was also that one time when you and your mom got into that argument, and the wall shelves with those figurines came crashing down."

"Lady Bell would get up on those shelves and walk around, so I'm certain that she is the one who weakened the nails that was holding up the shelves," Paige replied.

"What if she didn't?" Gail countered. "What if you had caused it?"

"Gail…" Paige was only able to get out.

"Fire!" Gail faintly heard from outside at the same time when Paige spoke.

"Paige, hold on," Gail requested while standing. The screams of fire continued. "People are hollering fire."

Paige stood as Gail walked towards her bedroom. As Gail was walking to the window that overlooked her backyard, Paige followed.

As Paige and Gail looked out the window, they saw that a bush near the alley was on fire. Mr. Keaton (a sixty-year-old man and one of Gail's neighbors) was rushing over with a garden hose while squirting in the fire's direction.

"I'm going down there," Gail told Paige. "I want to hear how that fire got started."

"You think Sam might have started that fire," Paige accused as she followed Gail.

"Either Sam is psychically and inadvertently causing the fires or you have been cursed with bad luck to be around fires," Gail replied while leaving the bedroom. "And I think you should seriously consider the former."

"I don't believe in psychics," Paige proclaimed before following Gail out through the back door and down the back stairwell.

In the backyard, Mr. Keaton had the fire out, and as Paige and Gail were walking towards him and the kids, Mr. Keaton was inquiring about the cause of the fire.

"It started on its own," one of the boys said.

"Fires do not start on their own," Mr. Keaton replied.

"Well, none of us started it," another boy replied.

Sam saw Paige and walked over to her. Byron followed Sam.

"Mom, there was a live bat in the bush and as we were all looking at it, the bush whooshed into a flame where the bat was at," Sam told Paige.

"The bat got cooked in the fire," Byron added.

Paige pursed her lips before asking, "Sam, were you frightened by the bat?"

"Yeah," Sam said in a tone as if to add 'duh' at the end. "Bats carry rabies and I was scared to get bit."

"Okay, I want everyone to empty his or her pockets," Mr. Keaton demanded. "Let's see which one of you has matches or a lighter."

"Mr. Keaton, that won't be necessary," Gail told him.

"I want to know which one of them started the fire," Mr. Keaton uttered.

"I'm more curious about how a wet, thriving bush could catch fire," Gail retorted as she glanced at Paige. "No one around here has any accelerant."

"Whoever has the matches or the lighter can explain that to us as well," Mr. Keaton replied.

"None of us have matches or a lighter," one of the boys claimed as he turned his pockets inside out and showed them to be empty.

The other kids showed that they had nothing in their pockets as well; except for a few cellphones.

"Satisfied?" Gail asked Mr. Keaton.

"Hardly," Mr. Keaton replied.

"Kids, go back at playing ball or go play somewhere where it's not around this bush," Gail told them.

"I should call the cops and report this," Mr. Keaton told Gail.

"Do what you must, Mr. Keaton," Gail told him as the kids—except for Sam and Byron—walked backed towards the alley with the soccer ball. "The fire is out and, except for the bush and the bat, no harm was done."

Mr. Keaton grunted slightly before turning and walking back towards his back door.

"Sam, you need to come inside with me," Paige told her.

"I still want to play while it's not raining," Sam replied.

"Yes, well, I want to talk with you for a moment," Paige told her.

"If it's about the fire, I don't know how it got started," Sam claimed.

"I think I might," Paige told Sam while glancing at Gail.

Gail made a facial gesture that indicated that she knew the answer too.

"How?" Sam questioned.

"I'll answer you inside," Paige said while gesturing to the building. "So now march."

"Fine," Sam grumbled before walking towards the back door.

Byron followed Sam as Paige and Gail followed Byron.

"So do you still not believe in psychics?" Gail asked Paige as they walked.

"Oh zip it," Paige told Gail. Gail slightly chuckled.

After everyone stepped into the kitchen, Sam asked Paige, "So how did the fire get started?"

"Sweetie, I think that the tall woman from this morning was telling us the truth," Paige told Sam.

"She accused me of starting fires," Sam reminded Paige.

"Yes, and I now believe that she might be right," Paige replied.

"Mom, I'm not starting fires," Sam insisted.

"Not on purpose, you're not," Paige countered.

"Mom, I'm not starting fires," Sam repeated.

"Sam, that tall woman said that you and I are psychics," Paige informed.

"I remember," Sam replied. "But aren't psychics people who can see the future?"

"There are different types of psychic abilities and one type of psychic ability is starting fires just by thinking about it," Paige replied. "And I believe that is what you are doing."

"I'm not thinking about fires," Sam insisted.

"When you get scared of something, like rats, Sam, what do you think about?" Gail asked.

"I don't know," Sam said with a shrug. "I'm just scared and I can't think clearly."

"Sam, let's try an experiment," Gail requested as she gazed over the kitchen.

"What kind of experiment?" Sam asked.

"Hold on," Gail said before walking over and grabbing an almost empty box of tissues from the top of the refrigerator. She emptied the box of tissues and then carried the empty box to the sink. "Sam, come over here."

"Okay," Sam said in an uncertain tone.

When Sam walked over to the sink, Byron was a step behind her.

Gail gestured to the box and said, "Sam, I want you to stare at this box and concentrate hard about rats and how frighten you are of them."

"Okay," Sam again said in an uncertain tone.

"And if you have to, imagine that the box is a rat," Gail added.

Sam concentrated for a moment before she began chanting 'Rat'. She chanted for thirty seconds before the box erupted in a flame.

"You did it," Gail praised.

"Wow, you can start fires just by thinking about it," Byron uttered.

"Samantha, look at me," Paige ordered.

"Are you mad at me, Mom?" Sam asked as she looked at Paige.

"No-no-no," Paige quickly replied. "You did nothing wrong and I'm not mad at you. Now with that said, that tall woman was right. When you get scared, you cause a fire."

"I don't mean to, Mom," Sam replied.

"I know, sweetie," Paige replied. "But before someone gets accidently hurt, I need you not to be scared of rats and… and bats and other creatures like them."

"I can't help being scared of rats and bats," Sam replied.

"There are ways for people to overcome their fears and we will explore them all if we have too," Paige replied. "Until then, Sam, when you see a rat or a bat or anything else that might scare you, I want you to immediately turn around and leave the area, and if you can't leave the area, then think of happy thoughts until you can leave the area. And of course I know that thinking happy thoughts when you are around frightening things is easier said than done. But try anyway to think happy thoughts when you get scared. "

"I'll try, mom," Sam replied.

"Gail, would you mind if I jump onto your computer and research on how to overcome fears?" Paige asked.

"Not at all," Gail replied before gesturing towards her bedroom. "My laptop is in my room."

Paige nodded before walking away.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	17. A New Beginning Part 12

**A New Beginning Part 12**

Around 3:30 P.M., at 'Curious Goods', Nicki was in the lounging area and playing the 'Game of Life' with Lizzy. The TV was on, but Nicki and Lizzy had mostly been ignoring it.

As Lizzy was taking her turn, the door opened and Lucas stepped in.

"We have to pause the game, sweetie," Nicki told her before standing up.

"I know," Lizzy replied before standing up as well and attempting to see who had walked in.

As Lucas made his way towards the display-case/counter, so was Nicki.

When Nicki saw that it was Lucas who had stepped in, she told him, "Welcome, Detective Gilbert. What can I do for you?"

"My cousin is getting married in three weeks from today and she likes antiques. So I figured I would come in and see what you have that I can buy for a wedding present," Lucas replied. "Any suggestions?"

Nicki grinned before asking, "And how old is your cousin, Detective Gilbert?"

"I'm not on duty, so you can call me Lucas," he replied.

"Okay," Nicki said with a grin. "And you can call me Nicki."

"Is Nicki your actual name or is it short for Nicole?" Lucas asked.

"It's short for Nicole," she replied.

"I knew a girl named Nicole in grade school and another girl named Nicole in high school," Lucas began. "And they both had the name 'Morgan' for a middle name."

"Are you sure that you didn't meet the same girl twice?" Nicki playfully questioned.

Lucas slightly smirked before saying, "The girl in grade school was Caucasian with blonde hair and the girl in high school was actually from Australia with dark brown hair. Anyway, your middle name wouldn't be Morgan as well, would it?"

Nicki amusingly grinned before sharing, "It's Allison."

"Nicole Allison Foster," Lucas playfully said with a slight grin. "Any suggestions on what I can get my cousin for a wedding gift?"

"Well, Lucas Gilbert—I don't know your middle name…" Nicki was only able to say.

"It's Stephan," Lucas quickly said.

Nicki pleasantly grinned before asking, "Well, Lucas Stephan Gilbert, how old is your cousin?"

Lucas thought for a moment before saying, "She had a birthday last month and I think she had turned twenty-two."

Nicki nodded before making several suggestions on what to get his cousin as a wedding gift.

Lucas looked at everything that Nicki had suggested and then chose the china set that had a pink flower pattern.

As Lucas was paying for the purchase while using a credit card, he told Nicki, "I saw on the door that you close at 5:00 P.M. on Saturdays and Sundays."

"That's correct," Nicki replied.

"After you close, can I buy you and your daughter dinner?" Lucas questioned in a hopeful tone.

"Lucas Stephan Gilbert, are you asking me out?" Nicki questioned in a tone as if she already knew the answer to that question.

"I am," Lucas replied. "Will you… and your daughter do me the honor and have dinner with me?"

Nicki took a moment to consider Lucas's dinner date offer before saying, "Yes. You can buy Lizzy and me dinner. Do you have a place in mind or can I pick the restaurant?"

Lucas grinned before saying, "You can choose if you have a restaurant that you prefer."

"Lizzy had been craving Chinese food for dinner and I promised her that we would go to Red Dragon Inn," Nicki replied. "It's a new restaurant down the road and it has a buffet."

"Red Dragon Inn sounds good," Lucas replied. He then looked at his watch. "And since you won't lock up for another ninety minutes, I'll take this china set home and then come back."

"I'll see you then," Nicki replied before handing Lucas his receipt.

"I'll see you then," Lucas replied before turning and walking away.

Nicki—with a pleasant grin on her face—stared at Lucas as he was walking to the door, and just before Lucas left through the door he looked back at Nicki. They gave each other a slight wave and a pleasant smile before Lucas faced the door again and pushed it open.

As Lucas was leaving the store, Nicki moved towards the lounging area.

Down the road from 'Curious Goods', Melanie and Andi were walking towards Melanie's house from Andi's house, but before they could reach Melanie's front stoop, Timmy rode up to them on a heavy-duty mountain bike.

"Hey, Melanie; hey, Andi," Timmy told them as he came to a stop in front of them.

"Timmy," Andi replied.

"Nice bike," Melanie replied. "Doesn't it belong to Houston Little though?"

"You do know that Houston died last February, don't you?" Timmy asked Melanie.

"Yes, I know," Melanie replied. "But what does that have to do with you having his bike?"

"Houston's parents had a yard-sale back in April and sold his stuff," Timmy began. "I bought his bike."

"FYI, Timmy, I think someone is breaking into garages in this area," Melanie began. "Someone had broken into our garage when my family and I were at the carnival last Saturday and took our bikes, my dad's portable generator, a gas grill and a few other things that were worth some money. So you might want to bring that bike into the house instead of leaving it in the garage."

"Thanks for the warning," Timmy replied. Melanie nodded with a polite grin. "Anyway, Melanie, can I talk to you alone for a moment?"

Melanie shrugged before saying, "I guess so."

"I'll meet you at your front door," Andi told Melanie before she continued to walk past Timmy and his bike.

"I won't be long," Melanie told Andi before she could get too far. Once Andi slightly waved, Melanie turned her attention back to Timmy. "So what do you want to talk with me about?"

Timmy looked back to see where Andi was, and when he felt that she was out of earshot, he looked at Melanie and said, "I would like for us to go out some time—on a date."

Melanie pursed her lips before saying, "Timmy, I'm flattered that you asked me out, but I only think of you as a potential friend and not as a potential boyfriend. I'm sorry."

"Is it my height?" Before Melanie could answer, Timmy continued to say, "Because you are barely taller than me, and most likely, you have stopped growing, and I still have two or three years left before I reach my full height, so I might be taller than you by the time I'm nineteen."

"It's not your height, Timmy," Melanie replied.

"Then why don't you see me as a potential boyfriend?" Timmy quickly asked.

Melanie slightly shrugged before saying, "I don't think of very many guys as a potential boyfriend…"

"Are you telling me you like girls?" Timmy quickly asked.

"I'm definitely not saying that. I do like guys," Melanie quickly replied.

Melanie then—without realizing it—listed a few sixteen year old and seventeen year old guys who each were very muscular who she saw as potential boyfriends.

"So jocks are the type of guys you like," Timmy spat with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Archer West and Wesley Reid don't play sports, so they aren't jocks," Melanie replied while picking out two names from her recent list.

"They don't play sports because they spend most of their free time at Castleman Martial Arts Studio," Timmy supplied. "So they are jocks… well, I consider them jocks, anyway."

"Okay, well I didn't know that they went to a karate school," Melanie replied.

"So it's not the knowledge of them being jocks that you find attractive," Timmy began as if he was mentally trying to solve a puzzle.

"Timmy…"

Timmy interrupted Melanie as he continued to say, "You like guys with muscles."

"I…" Melanie stopped talking when she realized that Timmy was right. "Okay, maybe."

"Then I'll become muscular and win your heart," Timmy replied as he prepared himself to peddle away.

"Don't change yourself for me," Melanie got out as he went to peddle away.

"You like muscular guys; I'll become one," Timmy called out to Melanie as he was moving away at a fast pace.

"Just find someone who likes you for you," Melanie called after him. "Timmy!"

When Timmy didn't respond, Melanie sighed. She then lightly jogged to catch up with Andi.

Andi was near Melanie's stoop and when Melanie joined her, Andi said, "I should have picked up on that you like muscular guys."

"Why should you when it took me talking to Timmy moments ago to figure that out?" Melanie asked.

"Every guy I have seen you pined over is muscular and I should have picked up on that," Andi replied.

"I haven't pined over anyone," Melanie insisted.

"Conner Ripley," Andi began. "You dragged me to every one of his football games our freshman year, and you went out of your way to talk with him."

"He's a good football player and I like his company," Melanie said for a weak excuse.

"And how many football games have you watched after he went off to college?" Andi questioned as if to make a point.

Melanie thought for a second before saying, "Four."

"And who were you watching in those four games?" Andi questioned.

"Troy, Barry and Willie," Melanie said with a grin. "They're cute…"

"And muscular," Andi added.

Melanie held her grin as she continued to say, "But I wasn't pining over them."

"I see that you are sticking with that," Andi said in an amused tone.

"Okay, fine, I'll give you Conner and I look at those other muscular guys, but I don't pined over them," Melanie said.

"Okay," Andi replied with a grin and in a tone that indicated that she still wasn't convinced.

"And I'm ready to end this discussion and go inside," Melanie said while gesturing to the house.

Andi held her grin while gesturing towards the house and saying, "After you."

Melanie's grin returned and as she moved towards the door, she slightly shook her head.

In Queens, New York, around 5:55 P.M. Eastern Time, Monte was following behind Teresa as she drove away from the homeless shelter.

"Don't get too close," Chloe warned. "If Teresa is the paranoid type, she might notice us following her and then try to elude us."

"Since Athena gave you the ability to astral project, you should use that ability and join Teresa in her car… just in case she attempts to elude us," Monte suggested.

"I think Athena had only showed me how to use an ability that we all have and not give me an ability," Chloe corrected.

"Regardless, use it and go spy on Teresa," Monte replied.

"Fine," Chloe replied before reclining her seat and reciting the protection prayer. Once the prayer was said in its entirety, she repeated the steps on how to astral project.

Once Chloe's astral projecting spirit was out of her body, she found herself in the back seat.

"Oh boy," Chloe uttered in a tone as if she was stumped for an answer. "Now how exactly do I get from here to Teresa's car? I wonder if I can project myself there."

Chloe closed her eyes and imagined herself in the car seat beside Teresa and when she heard a woman singing along to the words to 'the boots are made for walking' as it played from the car speakers she opened her eyes.

"Yes, I did it," Chloe said as she glanced around at her surroundings.

When she looked at Teresa, she saw that Teresa was only casually driving along as if nothing unusual was happening.

"I see that you're not the paranoid type," Chloe replied. "Then again you don't realize that we had only used Sheldon to get to you."

Chloe focused on feeling her extremities and within a few seconds, she felt herself being pulled back into her body.

After Chloe woke within her body, she readjusted her seat and told Monte, "She's not aware of us following her."

"If she makes a lot of turns, it won't take her long for her to realize that we are following," Monte began. "So perhaps you should go over there and stay with her until we reach her house."

"Good idea," Chloe replied before respectively reclining her seat again, reciting the protection prayer and repeating the steps on how to astral project.

Once Chloe's astral projecting spirit was once again out of her body, she imagined herself in the car seat beside Teresa.

As the minutes slowly passed, Teresa made several turns down residential roads without noticing Monte behind her, and after a ten-minute drive from the shelter to her two-story house, she parked her car in her garage.

Monte was a block behind Teresa and driving slowly down the road.

As Chloe was waking up, Monte said, "I take it that she lives in that house down the road."

"Yeah, and I'm going to follow her in as a spirit and look for the Then-and-Now photo frame," Chloe replied. "I only woke up to tell you what I have planned so you didn't worry that I'm not waking up."

"Alright, and I'll find a parking place while you do that," Monte replied.

Chloe nodded before closing her eyes and repeating the steps on how to astral project.

Chloe's astral projecting spirit caught up with Teresa in time to see her punch in the code '657655' for the house alarm and Chloe instantly memorized it.

As Chloe began looking around the living room, Teresa's cat stared at Chloe and began making sounds towards her as if she was a threatening entity. The cat was mostly light tan, but he had some white in his coat and white feet.

"Boots, what has gotten into you?" Teresa asked. "You're not happy about something."

"Boots, I'm a ghost," Chloe told the cat as she stepped closer. "Deal with it."

Boots leaped at Chloe and out of reflexes, Chloe attempted to move away from him. However, Boots flew through Chloe and crashed hard into the wall.

"Oh my god, Boots," Teresa uttered as she moved towards him. "Why are you throwing yourself into walls?" Boots had quickly gotten back onto his feet and ran off deeper into the house. "Boots, what is going on with you?"

As Teresa followed behind Boots, Chloe said, "While you look after Boots, I'm going to look for your light pink Then-and-Now photo frame."

Chloe began her search on the first floor and once she looked everywhere on the first floor to her satisfaction, she ascended the steps.

After reaching the second floor, Chloe entered a room that was set up as a home office. She was only in that room for a short time before leaving it and entering the bedroom.

As Chloe was searching the bedroom, Teresa walked in while talking on her cellphone.

"Symona, I'm happy to do it," Teresa told the person on the phone. "Just tell me how much do you need. Okay, I'll get it and take it to you in one hour. You're welcome. Bye."

Chloe was half-heartedly watching Teresa and was preparing to move back into the hallway, but before she could, Teresa grabbed the edge to a large painting and swung it as if it was a door and revealing a safe.

"Whoa! You have a nice size safe behind that painting," Chloe replied before watching Teresa as she entered '657655' (the same code that she had entered for the house alarm) to unlock the safe.

"FYI, Teresa, you should have used…" Chloe stopped talking when the safe door came open and she was gazing at the Then-and-Now photo frame. "Bingo."

Chloe then focused on feeling her extremities and within a few seconds, she felt herself being pulled back into her body.

When Monte saw that Chloe was waking up, he asked, "So how did it go?"

"It's inside," Chloe replied as she readjusted her seat to the upright position. "I know where it is and how to get to it. However, I think we are going to need latex gloves so we don't leave finger prints and thick pair of regular gloves so one of us can grab hold of a cat and not get bit or scratched."

"Then we shall come back after we get those things," Monte replied before making sure that the road was clear of cars and leaving his parking space.

Monte and Chloe had found a drugstore relatively close by and they were in and out within a few minutes. As they were returning to Teresa's house, they saw Teresa driving away in her car.

"Hey, look," Monte replied. "If she's leaving, we can grab it now."

"I overheard her phone call earlier," Chloe began. "She's going to lend money to someone named Symona. So most likely she's going to meet up with Symona."

"Let's hope that Symona is more than a few minutes away," Monte replied before preparing himself to take the closest available parking space to Teresa's house.

After Monte parked, he and Chloe waited until Teresa's car was out of sight before they got out of the car and walked towards Teresa's front door.

During their walk to the house, Monte took out the lock-picking kit that he had owned for over twenty-five years.

Once Monte and Chloe were at the front door, they put on their latex gloves and then—within a minute—Monte picked the lock.

Boots was near the front door and made disgruntle sounds soon after Monte and Chloe walked in.

"I'll handle the cat while you turn off the alarm before it alerts the police," Monte said as he took off the latex gloves.

"On it," Chloe replied as Monte pocketed his latex gloves.

As Chloe was shutting off the alarm, Monte was putting on the padded gloves.

When the alarm showed disarmed, Chloe said, "Done, and the safe is upstairs."

"This cat seems to be keeping his distance," Monte replied as he and Chloe moved towards the steps.

"Maybe he learned his lesson when he went head first into a wall earlier," Chloe replied before she and Monte climbed the steps.

Boots didn't follow.

Chloe led Monte to the safe, and within a short time, she had taken possession of the photo frame.

Moments later, Monte and Chloe were getting back into their car rental. As they were driving away, Teresa was returning.

When Chloe saw Teresa's car, she said, "Boy we got in and out just in time. Oh, and she also will be suspecting you—the man who called Sheldon about it." Chloe held out her hand. "So give me that Go-Phone."

"Why do you want that?" Monte asked as he went to get the phone.

"So I can remove the SIM card," Chloe replied.

"You think that Teresa can track us by this phone?" Monte asked as he held out the phone for Chloe to take.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out," Chloe replied while taking the phone.

In Chicago, around 6:00 P.M. Central Time, Tiffany was at her friend Ashley's house and she was going to spend the night there.

Timmy and Tiffany's parents (Edward and Joyce) decided to have a date night and went out. Edward drove, so Joyce had left Timmy her car key in case he wanted to go out and get himself something to eat.

After Edward and Joyce left their house, Timmy did used Joyce's car and went to 'Bold and Intense'—a second-hand sporting goods store that was located across the street from the donut shop that Timmy's dad owned. The items that 'Bold and Intense' sold were preowned sporting equipment, preowned exercise equipment, barbells, weight benches, dumbbells and new sports apparel.

Minutes before Timmy had walked into the store, Armin Miller (the very muscular assistant store manager) had cut his hand while opening a box and had unknowingly gotten his blood on the bar for the barbell that Timmy had his eye on; although, the bar to the barbell was cursed and the blood seeped into the bar almost immediately.

The bar had two twenty-five-pound weights on it, and when Timmy grabbed the bar to test the feel, he was given a vision on how the cursed worked, along with a small—yet continuous—muscle transfer from Armin to himself while he had contact with the bar.

Timmy grinned from the knowledge that he could become muscular faster than normal and didn't see the harm of taking it from someone who was already extremely muscular.

After the awareness of what he had stumbled upon had worn off, he carried the barbell to the cashier so he could pay for it.

Armin was supervising a new employee in the apparel department and began to rub his biceps as if they were extremely sore from a hard workout.

After Timmy had reached the check-out counter, he decided to buy a weight bench as well.

Minutes later, once Timmy had gotten the barbell and the weight bench home, and had taken the items down into his basement, he began to actually exercise with the barbell, which caused the muscle transfer from Armin to himself to go three times faster.

As Timmy exercised during the passing minutes, his muscles throughout his body slowly began to grow and expand.

At 'Bold and Intense' Armin's muscles noticeably and painfully dwindled. While panicking to what was happening, he rushed to clock out; rushed to his car and then rushed to get to an urgent care center.

After Armin made it to the urgent care center, he suffered a severe heart-attack from weakening of the heart muscles and dropped dead at the entryway. A few individuals screamed when they saw Armin collapsing at the door.

At Timmy's house, Timmy—while unaware of the death that had occurred—went from lifting the fifty pounds with ease to feeling the resistance of the weight, and after his fifth set of ten of lifting the weight over his head while starting from shoulder height, he quit before straining his muscles.

Timmy then took off his shirt and moved to view the results in the mirror.

"Yes! I should catch Melanie's eye now," Timmy said to himself as he was looking at the muscles that he had noticeably gain.

Hours later, Timmy went to bed before Edward and Joyce returned home from their date night at 1:00 A.M.; however, Edward and Joyce—after getting only four hours sleep—were up and gone by 6:00 A.M., to begin their workday at their donut shop.

Timmy woke up just before 8:00 A.M., to begin his Sunday, and when he looked into the mirror, he saw that he still had the muscles from last night.

Several blocks away, Melanie's alarm was going off at 8:00 A.M., so she could begin her Sunday as well. However, the alarm clock had cut short one of her recurring vague dreams about history being altered by demons; although this time, she remembered almost every detail of her dream.

After shutting off her alarm, Melanie lay on her back and thought about her dream. After a couple of minutes, Melanie got up, put on clean clothes (a bra, panties, a pair of blue jeans, a purple T-Shirt, a pair of socks and her tennis shoes), and then left her room.

April and Stephen were at the table while eating their breakfast (eggs, bacon and toast). Enough eggs, bacon and toasts for three more people sat on the counter, next to the stove.

When Melanie entered the kitchen, she asked, "Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, correct?"

"Don't they still teach you history at school?" Stephen asked.

"They do, but I had a dream that Christopher's three ships sank soon after leaving Spain because of sea demons," Melanie replied.

"It was only a dream, Melanie," April replied in a slight amused tone. "Christopher Columbus discovered America. Anyway, are your brothers up?"

"I didn't look in, but I did hear movement from their room when I walked by," Melanie replied.

"Okay, well, there are scrambled eggs and bacon on the counter," April told Melanie as Melanie acted as if she heard something or someone near the front door.

"I'm going to answer the door before I eat," Melanie was able to say just one second before the doorbell rang.

Stephen curiously looked at Melanie as Melanie walked away.

April pursed her lips before saying, "I know that you don't think that our daughter is a psychic, Stephen, but I do."

"Kids and young adults can hear sounds that older adults can't," Stephen began as he readied another bite. "So most likely she heard someone at the door before that person rang the doorbell."

"Yes, well, she and Nicki convinced me last Thursday that she was a psychic," April replied.

"Yes, some psychic," Stephen sarcastically echoed. "She couldn't foresee our garage getting broken into eight days ago."

"From what I recently read about psychics, not all psychics have the same gifts, nor are they—as advertised at the carnivals—all knowing," April replied. "Also Melanie explained to me that she needs triggers to get visions, and she says that touch is her most successful trigger, but other things—like taste, smell, sound and sometimes even sight—can trigger visions as well, but has a lesser chance of doing so."

"I'm going to bring home random objects and have Melanie touch them, and when she can't accurately tell me something about those objects, I want this 'Melanie is a psychic' business dropped."

"Fine," April replied.

"Melanie is no more of a psychic than Becca or my mom when my mom was alive," Stephen slightly grumbled.

April just pursed her lips before she and Stephen took another bite of their breakfast.

At the front door, once Melanie had it opened and she saw a sixty-five-year-old man standing there that stood 5' 8", she said, "Good morning, sir. How can I help you?"

The man was slightly caught off guard by Melanie's tall height, and as he looked up, he asked, "Does Stephen Cahill live here?"

"He does; he's my dad," Melanie replied.

The man slightly grinned before saying, "Then that would make me your Great-Uncle Leonard."

"You're my Great-Uncle Leonard?" Melanie echoed skeptically.

"I see that you have never heard of me," Leonard (Leo) replied. "Hopefully your dad has. So go tell him that his mom's brother is here."

Melanie nodded with a polite grin before saying, "I'll go tell him." She then backed up and shut the door.

As Melanie was entering the kitchen, April asked, "So who was at the door?"

"Dad's Uncle Leonard and he's still there," Melanie replied as Billy and Nathan were approaching the kitchen. "I didn't know that you had an Uncle Leonard."

"Your Grandma Annmarie had a brother name Leonard," Stephen replied as he went to stand up. Billy and Nathan were walking into the kitchen as he continued to say, "I never met him. He ran away from home at fifteen, and your grandma and your great-grandparents had never heard from him since then."

"Ooh, I've been itching to pull that trigger," Billy joked.

"Excuse me," Stephen demanded to know as he stared harshly at Billy.

"I'm kidding," Billy quickly said earnestly. "I love it here; I love you and I may never leave even after I turned twenty-one."

Stephen slightly shook his head before turning towards the front door and walking away.

Moments later, Stephen opened the door and said, "Hi. May I help you?"

"Are you Stephen Cahill?" Leo questioned.

"I am, and I understand that you are my Uncle Leonard—my mom's brother," Stephen replied.

"I am," Leo replied with a grin. "But you… and your kids can call me 'Uncle Leo.'"

"Yes, well, pardon my skepticism, Uncle Leo, but do you have proof of who you are?" Stephen questioned.

"I have my driver's license," Leo said with a slight grin as he went to pull out his wallet. Within seconds, Leo pulled out his driver's license and held it out for Stephen to take.

Stephen took his driver's license and saw that the license was a Washington license, his full name was Leonard Arlo Carter and his address was from Seattle, Washington.

"Well, according to your driver's license, you have the same name as my Uncle Leo," Stephen began, "but can you prove that you are really him?"

Leo took a deep breath before saying, "My parents' names were Stephen and Pearl Carter. My mom's maiden name was Holden. My sisters' birth names were Elizabeth Ann Carter and Annmarie Flora Carter. Elizabeth went by Beth and she was older than me by two years and one month and I was older than Annmarie by two years and six months. We were all born in Nashville, Tennessee, but when I was six we all had moved to Chicago because Chicago was where my dad had found work. Shall I go on, or is what I told you enough to convince you of who I am?"

"Okay, I am convinced that you are in fact my Uncle Leo, but I would still like for you to continue and tell me why you ran away," Stephen replied.

Leo pursed his lips before saying, "I ran away to save my parents' and my sisters' lives."

"What do you mean?" Stephen asked.

"Me, your mother and your grandmother would get dreams that would sometimes come true," Leo replied.

"You're claiming to be a psychic," Stephen said in a bitter tone.

"I take it that you don't believe in psychics?" Leo questioned.

"No, I don't," Stephen replied in an unyielding tone.

"Yes, well, regardless to what you believe, your mother, your grandmother and I each had a similar dream one night that our entire family was going to get sick and die. Your mother's version of the dream and your grandmother's version of the dream were incomplete. They didn't see what had caused us to get sick, but I saw what was going to make us all sick, and it was my mere presence in the household that started the chain of events that would have gotten us sick…"

"And in your dream, what had caused all of you to get sick?" Stephen quickly asked before Leo could continue.

"I dreamed that when I was less than an hour old, a demonic looking person in a doctor's coat came up to me in the hospital and took my blood. Then my dreamed skipped to my sixteenth birthday and that same demonic looking person in a doctor's coat came up to me again as I slept in my bed an injected me with something. I quickly fell ill after that and that illness spread to my parents and to my sisters, and within days we were all dead from a mysterious illness. Of course I could have talked to your grandparents about my dream, but I was certain that talking to them wouldn't prevent our deaths. So I left, and I followed my dreams and psychic instincts to stay gone. I then—soon after my thirty-fifth birthday—felt a strong urge to return home. When I got to Chicago, I learned that your mother and grandparents had died within a few years of each other and Beth's funeral was the following Monday of my arrival. I stayed for the funeral, and while I was here, I learned a little bit about you and your sister Rebecca and then I went back to Seattle."

"And now you're back," Stephen pointed out.

"I know you won't believe this, but yesterday evening I felt a strong urge that I should visit you and your family," Leo began. "And since I am here, are you going to invite me in?"

"Before I do, I would like to know how you knew where I lived," Stephen replied.

"Martin, my oldest son—your cousin—is a very good private investigator and it took him less than three hours to learn that you have a wife and three kids and that you lived here," Leo replied. "He's having a hard time tracking down Rebecca though. Does she live near here?"

"No; soon after Rebecca graduated from high school, she and a good friend of hers moved to Saint Louis, Missouri," Stephen began. "Weeks after that, she began dating a medical student, and soon after he got his medical license he and Rebecca got married. They and their two daughters Tonya and Robin reside in St. Charles, Missouri, which is not far from Saint Louis. Anyway, Uncle Leo, let me introduce you to my family."

Leo quickly nodded in agreement.

Stephen slightly pursed his lips before turning towards the door and opening it.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	18. A New Beginning Part 13

**A New Beginning Part 13**

In the kitchen, April was washing dishes as Melanie, Billy and Nathen ate.

When Stephen and Leo stepped in, Stephen introduced everyone to Leo and Leo to everyone.

"It's a pleasure to meet everyone," Leo told them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," April replied.

"Do you live in Chicago, Uncle Leo?" Billy asked before taking a bite of his bacon.

"I live in Seattle with my wife Dori," Leo replied.

"Did you come to Chicago for business?" April asked.

"I came because I decided that it was time to meet my sister's kids and grandkids and to get to know all of you," Leo replied. "Dori would have come with me, but she has to work tomorrow and I wasn't sure how long I will be visiting."

"What does Aunt Dori do?" April asked.

"She's a social worker for the foster care system," Leo replied.

"Do you work, Uncle Leo?" Melanie asked as she was readying a bite of egg.

"I do," Leo replied. "I'm a store manager for Kress IGA Supermarket, and I had vacation time coming so I took a few days off."

"Had you been thinking about meeting us for a while?" Melanie asked.

"You may not believe this, but I get psychic dreams and feelings, and yesterday evening I had an overwhelming feeling to come here," Leo replied.

Melanie smiled as Stephen replied, "Melanie does believe you. She believes that she is a psychic as well."

"But dad only believes that I'm a good guesser," Melanie added.

Leo grinned before asking, "Have you researched anything on how to improve your psychic ability?"

"I didn't think that a person could improve his or her psychic ability," Melanie replied.

"There are a few tricks that will help, like eating the right foods and meditating often," Leo replied.

"Which foods should I be eating?" Melanie questioned. She then took the bite of eggs that she had scooped up moments before as Leo listed several types of foods. When he was done, Melanie replied, "I eat most of those types of foods anyway."

"Good," Leo said. "Have you meditated before?" Melanie pursed her lips and shook her head. "I could show you how to do it."

"Okay. I would like that," Melanie replied.

"When you get done eating, I'll show you," Leo replied.

"Okay, thinks," Melanie replied before taking another bite.

Monte and Chloe's plane had landed at O'Hare International Airport at 8:10 A.M., and while Monte took a cab to 'Curious Goods', Chloe drove her black Chevy Tahoe to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.

By 8:45 A.M., Chloe was walking up to Manuel outside Julius's room.

"Before you go in there, Chloe, you need to know that Julius is having memory problems," Manuel informed. "In fact, he has full-blown amnesia. He had been wearing a helmet so the doctor can't really find anything to explain it."

"Thanks for telling me, Manuel," Chloe replied as grateful as she could sound without sounding fake. "I would like to go in and talk to him alone if you don't mind."

"He accepts me, Chloe, as his dad, but he won't remember you," Manuel pointed out. "So I should go in and introduce you to him."

"Manuel, please," Chloe quickly requested. "I need to go in and talk with him alone."

Manuel pursed his lips before nodding and saying, "Okay, but if you need my assistance, I'll be right here."

Chloe nodded before asking, "Is Sophia in the room with… with Julius?"

"Sophia's with my parents," Manuel replied.

"That's probably for the best," Chloe commented before opening the door to the room and walking in.

As she was closing the door behind her, Kellogg said, "I'm having problems with my memory. Are you a relative of mine?"

Chloe waited until she was at Kellogg's bedside before saying barely loud enough for even him to hear, "I'm Julius's mom, Kellogg."

Kellogg was caught off guard by Chloe's knowledge of him, and after slightly hesitating, he asked, "How?"

"I had crossed paths with Athena and Hermes last Thursday and…"

"And they didn't take your memories of them?" Kellogg asked in a surprised tone.

"Oh, Athena did, but then she restored them yesterday just before she had informed me that my son had broken his neck and died," Chloe replied. "You have a mission to perform, and Athena told me about my son and you because she feared that I would have interfered with your mission. And she was right, I would have interfered."

"Since you know the truth, will you still interfere with me?" Kellogg asked.

Chloe shook her head before saying, "I won't interfere, and for the sake of your mission, I will refer to you as my son and act as motherly as I can towards you, but don't think for one second that I will ever forget who you really are."

"Of course," Kellogg replied. "I fully understand."

"Good," Chloe replied. "And for here on out, I guess I should refer to you as Julius and you should refer to me as mom."

"Of course," Kellogg (Julius) replied.

Chloe gestured towards the door before saying, "I should let, Manuel… your dad know that our private talk is over and that he can come in."

Julius nodded before Chloe could turn towards the door and take the few steps towards it.

At 'Curious Goods', Nicki—while dressed in blue slacks, a blue and green decorative short-sleeve blouse and her flat black shoes—was standing at the display-case/counter and looking over the Sunday newspaper when the article about Armin Miller dropping dead from a heart-attack after reaching the urgent care center had caught her attention.

Lizzy was in the lounging area while eating cereal and watching cartoons.

Just after Nicki fully read the article, Monte stepped in while carrying the 'Then-and-Now photo frame'.

"It's good to see you, Monte," Nicki told him. "Had you looked over this morning's paper yet?"

"Not yet," Monte said as he walked towards Nicki.

"Okay, well, I think you need to read this article," Nicki informed. "Yesterday, I'm fairly certain that one of your lost items had found a user and someone to use it on."

"What is the article about?" Monte asked as he was approaching the display-case/counter.

Nicki gestured towards Lizzy while saying, "My daughter is in earshot, so you will need to read it for yourself."

"Alright," Monte replied before indicating to the 'Then-and-Now photo frame'. "Oh and I brought you an item for your 'not for sale' collection."

"Was it difficult to get?" Nicki asked.

"Not really," Monte replied while putting it on the display-case/counter. "The hardest part was the waiting and watching the person who had it, until she led us to it."

"Okay, while you look at this article, I'll go lock up the photo frame," Nicki replied before pointing out the article in the paper.

"Alright," Monte replied while taking the paper from Nicki.

As Monte began reading the article, Nicki picked up the photo frame and carried it away.

Down the road at Melanie's house, April, Billy and Nathen was in the kitchen while playing Rummy. Stephen was upstairs while taking a shower.

In the basement—where it was mostly quiet and had the least distractions—Melanie was imitating Leo as Leo meditated. They had been meditating for about twenty minutes before Melanie broke her pose and silence.

"Someone is at the front door for me," Melanie announced.

"How do you know?" Leo asked just as the faint sound of the doorbell reached the basement.

"I always know when an alarm or a doorbell or even a phone is about to ring just before it rings," Melanie shared as she went to stand. However, she came to a sudden halt when a thought occurred to her. "Although this is the first time that I felt that the person at the door was here for a particular person."

Leo grinned and as he went to stand, he said, "After just one session, meditation might be increasing your intuition."

"We can only hope," Melanie said with a grin before moving towards the steps.

As Melanie was ascending the steps, Leo followed her up.

Nathen was who had answered the front door, and as he was walking towards the basement door, Melanie was leaving the basement.

"There is someone at the door for you, Mel," Nathen informed.

"Okay, thanks," Melanie replied as she moved past Nathen. As Melanie walked towards the front door, Nathen and then Leo—after he left the basement—entered the kitchen.

Melanie opened the door and then came to a halt within the doorway when she caught sight of Timmy.

Timmy was wearing a green muscle shirt and a pair of shorts that prominently displayed his muscles.

Timmy stretched out his arms while questioning, "So what do you think of the new me?"

In an earnest tone, Melanie quickly requested, "Please tell me that you are wearing a very-very… very realistic muscle suit and this is not the actual you."

"This is all me," Timmy replied proudly. "I'm muscular now, and since I am muscular, will you consider dating me now?"

"Timmy, a person doesn't go from being unmuscular to being very muscular overnight," Melanie pointed out.

"He does if he has a magical barbell," Timmy replied.

"You have a magical barbell?" Melanie questioned.

"I do," Timmy replied. "I acquired it last night."

"And where did you get this magical barbell?" Melanie asked.

"From the 'Bold and Intense' store," Timmy replied.

"I never heard of that store," Melanie informed.

"It's a fairly new sporting goods store that opened up and it's across the street from 'Edward's Donuts,'" Timmy replied. "They sell used… or preowned as they advertise, exercise equipment."

"And I'm willing to bet that the barbell that you bought was preowned," Melanie commented.

"Except for the sports-wear that they sell, which is always new, most everything in there is preowned," Timmy said.

"Timmy, I'll be back in about five minutes," Melanie told him. "There's something that I have to do inside and then I'll be right back."

"Okay, sure," Timmy said. "And when you come back, perhaps you and I could go somewhere and do something… for our first date."

Melanie held up her index finger while saying, "Hold that thought." She then backed up into the house and shut the door.

"Who was at the door, Mel?" Stephen asked as he was coming down the steps.

"It's Timmy; he's someone I know from school," Melanie replied. "He wants to hang out, but I need to call Nicki, to make sure she doesn't need me to work today before we hang out."

"If Timmy is outside, you could have invited him in," Stephen pointed out.

"I'm going straight back out after I make my phone call," Melanie said as she took the first step on the stairs.

"If you just came inside to make a phone call, why are you going upstairs?" Stephen asked. "You can use the phone in the living room or the kitchen."

"The phone number is in my smart phone and my phone is in my room," Melanie replied as she quickly climbed the steps.

"Your mom may have the number to the store stored on the kitchen phone," Stephen pointed out.

"Okay, well, I'm upstairs already," Melanie replied as she was reaching the top of the steps. "So I'm closer to my bedroom than the kitchen right now."

"Alright," Stephen replied in a giving up tone.

Melanie went straight to her room, grabbed her phone and called 'Curious Goods'. It rang three times before Nicki answered the phone with "Curious Goods."

"Nicki, it's Melanie," she began. "Hi. I'm very certain that Timmy—the guy who lent me his copy of 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' last Friday—had found and had used a cursed object."

"What makes you say that?" Nicki questioned.

"Yesterday he was unmuscular and today he's very muscular," Melanie shared.

"Melanie, your friend does have one of those objects that Monte and his family are after," Nicki replied. "It's a barbell and it already claimed one victim."

"Seeing how muscular Timmy is now, I was certain that someone had to have died," Melanie said. "But how did you know that it was the barbell and that someone had died because of it?"

"Today's paper reported a bizarre death yesterday evening," Nicki began. "Armin Miller—an assistant manager for 'Bold and Intense'—was very muscular, but within one hour he had lost all of his muscles and had died at an urgent care center from a heart-attack."

"What page is that article on?" Melanie quickly questioned.

Nicki told Melanie where to find the article and then said, "Melanie, I need you to keep Timmy at your place until Monte can get there."

"Okay, sure," Melanie replied. "I don't see that to be a problem."

"Good… oh and ah, don't mention anything about the bizarre death to Timmy," Nicki replied. "Most likely, he doesn't know and if he finds out, he may panic and run off."

"Okay, I'll keep quiet about it," Melanie replied. "Bye."

"Bye," Nicki replied before they each hung up.

Melanie left her bedroom and made her way to the front door.

As Melanie was stepping out from the front door, Timmy asked, "So where should we go for our first date?"

"I had not agreed to go out on a date with you, Timmy; not yet, anyway, so you need to slow down," Melanie replied as she was closing the door.

"But I'm now muscular," Timmy pointed out.

"Timmy, last Friday, you had told me what kinds of foods you like, what kinds of shows you like and… and other tidbits that people share when they are trying to get to know one another, but before I'll date you… or anyone else for as that matter, I need to know more about you," Melanie replied.

"Okay, what do you want to know?" Timmy questioned.

"You can't really tell me what I want to know," Melanie replied. "I will have to see it for myself, and for me to see it, you and I will have to hang out solely as friends."

"For how long?" Timmy questioned.

Melanie shrugged before saying, "For however long it takes for me to see what I'm looking for."

"And what are you looking for?" Timmy asked.

Melanie again shrugged before saying, "The unabridged you."

"What does that mean," Timmy asked.

"It means that you and I won't be dating until I get to know you a lot better," Melanie replied. "And I have no problems with you and me hanging out today. We have board games and video games in the house, or… or we can watch a movie on TV. Or we could even watch TV and play a board game at the same time."

Timmy grinned before saying, "We could watch 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.'"

"That sounds good too," Melanie replied before gesturing towards the door. "Let's go."

"Ladies first," Timmy said with a hand gesture.

Melanie nodded with a slight grin before entering the house. Timmy followed her in, and when Melanie stopped near the stairs so did he.

"We will watch it in the living room, which is right in there," Melanie replied while pointing out the living room. She then gestured upstairs. "The DVDs are upstairs though in my room. So go into the living room and I'll go get the DVDs."

"Okay," Timmy replied before they went their respective ways.

As Timmy was making himself comfortable on one end of the couch, Stephen and Leo joined him in the living room and began asking him questions about his life; however, Timmy fudged the facts about his weight training.

Melanie—while carrying the DVDs—heard Stephen, Leo and Timmy talking as she was returning to the living room, and as she walked in, she asked, "Dad; Uncle Leo, would you care to watch 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' with us?"

"Uncle Leo and I are on our way out," Stephen replied.

"Where are you going?" Melanie asked.

"We are going to go see your Grandpa Dave," Stephen replied. "He has pictures of your Grandma Annmarie that we don't have."

"Grampa Dave showed me those pictures," Melanie replied. "He and Aunt Becca think I favor Grandma Annmarie."

"Everyone thinks that you favor your Grandma Annmarie," Stephen replied. "And FYI, your Aunt Becca, Tonya and Robin will be here in a few hours."

"What about Uncle Simon?" Melanie asked.

"He's working," Stephen replied. "Anyway, Uncle Leo and I will be back later."

"Have fun," Melanie told them. Stephen and Leo slightly grinned before making their way towards the front door. "Timmy, I have seen episodes one through five, so I'll put in episode six."

"That's fine," Timmy replied as Melanie made her way to the DVD player.

Melanie turned on the TV and the DVD player, and once the DVD was in the player and playing, she joined Timmy on the couch.

In the kitchen, while April, Billy and Nathen were playing cards, Billy reminded April about the birthday party that he had been invited to at the local swimming pool.

"That doesn't start until ten-thirty," April replied. "So you have an hour to get there."

"But I don't have a swim suit," Billy pointed out.

"What do you mean you don't have a swim suit?" April questioned. "Where is your swim suit from last year?"

Billy shrugged before saying, "I can't find it."

"It might have been left at Aunt Becca's last year," Nathen suggested.

"Billy, you had all week to tell me that you can't find your swim suit, so why did you wait until now to tell me?" April questioned.

Billy again shrugged before saying, "I kept forgetting."

"Okay, well, have you looked in all of your drawers?" April asked.

"I looked everywhere," Billy replied. "I can't find it."

April slightly sighed before saying, "Alright. Our game is over. We have to go to the store to buy you a swim suit before the birthday party."

"Can I come?" Nathen asked.

"Yes, you can come," April replied before the three stood up.

As April, Billy and Nathen entered the living room from the kitchen, April told Melanie that they were going to the store to get Billy a swim suit. She then emphasized, "We'll be back soon."

"Alright," Melanie replied. Billy and Nathen stood next to the couch and watched what was playing. "Timmy and I are just going to watch Buffy."

"I don't want to come back home to a mess," April replied as she moved towards the closet near the front door.

"You won't," Melanie said.

April opened the closet door and pulled out her purse. As she was closing the door, she said, "Billy; Nathen, let's go."

"Coming," Billy and Nathen said while turning away from the TV and walking towards the front door.

After April, Billy and Nathen left the house, Timmy asked Melanie, "Could I get a glass of water?"

"We have bottled water in the refrigerator," Melanie replied. "I'll go get you and me each one."

As Melanie went to stand up, Timmy replied, "Thanks." He then went to grab the DVD player remote. "Oh and I'll pause the show."

"Okay," Melanie said in a tone as if it wasn't really necessary.

As Melanie walked away, Timmy paused the show.

Melanie wasn't gone long before she return with two bottles of water and a strawberry/watermelon flavor enhancer.

"Do you want to add flavor to your water?" Melanie asked before handing Timmy one of the bottles.

"I haven't flavored my water before, but I'll give it a try," Timmy replied before taking the flavor enhancer as well. As Melanie walked around the coffee table, he asked, "How much of this do I put in."

"I only use one squeeze per bottle, but my brother Billy will use two squeezes," Melanie said while taking her seat.

"I'll start small and add just one squeeze," Timmy said before opening his water.

"After you add the flavor shake it up," Melanie told him.

"Okay," Timmy replied before adding the flavor.

After handing Melanie the flavor bottle, he capped his bottle and shook it.

Melanie added flavor to her water, and as she was shaking her capped bottle, Timmy was taking a drink of his.

"This is good," Timmy replied.

"It is," Melanie agreed before uncapping her bottle. As Melanie was taking a drink, Timmy unpaused the DVD.

Melanie and Timmy watched another five minutes of the show before Melanie's attention was drawn to the front door.

"What's wrong?" Timmy asked.

"Someone is at the front door," Melanie replied as the doorbell sounded.

"Man, you have good hearing," Timmy replied as Melanie went to stand up.

"My dad believes that too," Melanie commented before walking towards the front door.

Timmy again paused the show.

Once the front door opened, Monte greeted Melanie. He then followed Melanie into the living room.

"Timmy, this is Monte," Melanie began. "He's here to talk to you about the barbell that you bought yesterday."

"You called and told someone about my barbell," Timmy accused.

"I had to." Melanie replied. "Your barbell isn't magical; it's cursed."

"What do you mean it's cursed?" Timmy quickly asked.

"Timmy, that barbell that you bought yesterday evening transfers muscles from one person to another…" Monte was only able to get out.

"Yes, I know," Timmy replied. "The guy who I took the muscles from was extremely muscular, so I figured that taking a little bit of his muscles wouldn't do any harm."

"It did do harm, Timmy," Monte replied. "The guy who you took the muscles from was the assistant store manager from 'Bold and Intense'. His name was Armin Miller and he's dead."

"Well I didn't kill him," Timmy quickly replied in a certain tone.

"The curse killed him," Monte replied. "That is what it does. Once the victim loses so much muscle, he or she dies from a heart attack."

"I don't understand," Timmy began. "Why would he die from a heart attack just because I had taken a little bit of his muscles?"

"The heart has muscles too and when you took his muscles, you took it from his heart as well," Monte replied.

"I didn't know," Timmy replied.

"I didn't think that you did, and I also don't think that you are aware that in twenty-four hours after the death of the curse's victim, any muscle gain that you had received will be gone," Monte informed.

Timmy gave Melanie a disheartening look before saying, "I didn't. So much for me impressing you, Melanie."

"You don't need to impress me, Timmy," Melanie replied. "Just find someone who likes you for you."

"But I like you, Melanie," Timmy replied as if it was a known fact.

"Yes, I get that, but I only see you as a friend, Timmy… or at least I do this very moment," Melanie replied before shrugging. "Who knows, once I get to know you a lot better, I might feel differently about you."

"Doubtful," Timmy mumbled, barely audible.

Before Melanie could respond, Monte said, "Timmy, my family and I hunt down cursed objects and remove them from the public. So I'll need you to give me that cursed barbell."

"Fine," Timmy replied before standing up. "I'll take you to it."

"Timmy, after you give Monte the cursed barbell, I'm okay if you would like to come back and hang out for a while," Melanie replied. "We can continue watching 'Buffy' or we can do something else."

"Okay," Timmy said with a nod. "I'll see you when I get back."

"I'll see you," Melanie replied before Timmy and Monte moved towards the front door.

Melanie sat back down and continued watching 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' without Timmy.

Monte and Timmy went to Timmy's house and after Monte took possession of the barbell, he took it to 'Curious Goods' to be stored.

Minutes after Monte had left Timmy's house, Timmy went back to the 'Bold and Intense' and bought another set of barbells that wasn't cursed.

At Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, Dr. Charles entered Julius's room and did an assessment on Julius. Dr. Charles and Julius talked for about an hour before Dr. Charles concluded that Julius—although suffering from complete amnesia—was mentally well enough to go home.

Around 1:10 P.M., at 'Curious Goods', Nicki, Lizzy, Lucas and Kirsten (Lucas's eight-year-old niece) had finished eating lunch together and were now in the lounging area while putting together a five hundred piece puzzle. Like Lucas, Kirsten had light brown hair.

When the doorbell clanged, Nicki immediately stood up and made her way towards the front of the store.

When Nicki was able to see who all were coming in, she saw Emily and Jared—although strangers to Nicki—picking up a double stroller and lifting it past the first set of short steps. Jared had grabbed the front half of the stroller and Emily had grabbed the back half of the stroller. Jacob and Kaleb were awake in the stroller and acting as if the stroller being picked up was a carnival ride.

Emily wore a black and green pattern dress and two-inch high-heeled black sandals that made her 5' 11". Jared wore khakis, a light blue short-sleeve dress shirt and black shoes that had one inch heels that made him 5' 10". Jacob and Kaleb were dressed in blue pin-stripe pants, light blue dress shirts and black shoes.

As Nicki, Emily and Jared were gathering in front of the display-case/counter, Nicki told them, "Welcome to 'Curious Goods'. Are you here for anything in particular?"

"Are you Nicki Foster?" Emily asked.

"I am, and I have a feeling that you are Emily," Nicki replied.

Emily grinned before rhetorically asking, "The twins gave me away, didn't they?"

Nicki grinned before saying, "They did, and it's nice to meet you and… and Jared, correct?"

"Correct," Emily and Jared replied.

"And it's nice to meet you, Nicki," Emily continued.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Nicki," Jared said as if it was an afterthought.

"So what brings you, Jared and your sons to Chicago while all dressed up?" Nicki questioned.

Emily grinned before saying. "Jared's parents live about a mile from here, and today is their thirtieth wedding anniversary; however, we did come up early, so I can meet you and my niece."

Nicki grinned before facing the lounging area and calling out for Lizzy to come over.

"Coming," Lizzy hollered before making her way to Nicki.

As Lizzy came around from the other side, Lucas and Kirsten followed.

When Nicki saw them coming around, she introduced everyone to each other; although, Emily was the one who introduced Jacob and Kaleb to them.

"Jacob and Kaleb look alike," Lizzy commented.

"They are identical twins," Emily said with a grin. "And Identical twins will sometimes look alike."

"Then how can you tell them apart?" Lizzy asked.

"Kaleb has a freckle on his right ear that Jacob doesn't," Emily told Lizzy.

"I see now," Lizzy replied.

"Lizzy, I would sure like to get a hug from you," Emily told her.

"Okay," Lizzy replied with a slight grin before moving into Emily's arms for the hug.

As Emily was hugging Lizzy, Nicki told Jared, "I understand that you're a police detective in Springfield."

"I am," Jared replied.

"Lucas is a detective in Wheaton, Illinois," Nicki shared just as Emily and Lizzy were ending their hug

"I was talking to a detective in Wheaton a couple of weeks ago about a missing teenage girl," Jared replied. "And I believe his name was Detective Kilmer."

Lucas thought for a moment before saying, "I believe you mean Detective Crismore…"

"Yes, Crismore; that was his name," Jared said in a tone as if the memory had come back.

"He actually got promoted to captain last Monday," Lucas shared.

"Good for him," Jared replied as if he wasn't sure what to say.

"Me out," Kaleb slightly whined.

"Do you mind if I pick up Kaleb?" Nicki questioned just before Jacob began to whine about wanting out as well.

"I don't mind," Emily replied. "And I'll get Jacob."

Nicki picked up Kaleb and began an adult to toddler conversation.

Once Emily had Jacob, she called out Nicki's name to get her attention. When she had it, she asked Nicki, "Do you mind if I look around and see what all you sell?"

"I don't mind at all," Nicki replied.

"Great." Emily said before she went to look around while holding Jacob.

Nicki remained at Emily's side while holding Kaleb.

"Emily's weaknesses are garage sales, yard sales and antique shops," Jared told Nicki.

"Oh hush," Emily playfully said. "It's not like I buy a lot of things and then let them sit around and collect dust."

"That is true," Jared admitted. "Everything you buy does get used."

Emily—as if to get to know Nicki and to make small talk—began asking her questions about her life in Chicago.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	19. A New Beginning Part 14

**A New Beginning Part 14**

At Melanie's house, Melanie, April, Stephen, Billy, Nathen, Becca, Tonya, Robin and Leo were sitting in the living room while chatting.

Tonya and Robin—like Becca—was 5' 7" while barefooted; however, they were both wearing three-inch high-heel sandals that made them 5' 10" (the same height as there dad). Becca was wearing tennis shoes.

April, Stephen and Becca were sitting on the couch. Leo was sitting on the armchair. Melanie, Billy, Nathen, Tonya and Robin were sitting in chairs that were dragged in from the kitchen and the dining room.

Leo had been retelling his life story for Becca, Tonya and Robin to hear for several minutes before Melanie's attention was drawn in the direction of the front door.

Stephen saw Melanie's actions and as he was about to speak, the doorbell sounded.

As Leo turned quiet, Nathan announced, "I'll answer it."

"Perhaps Melanie can tell us who should answer," Stephen challenged as Nathan was standing.

"Stephen, stop," April demanded before Melanie could reply.

Nathen stopped moving and stood near his seat.

"Melanie is the psychic, so she should be able to tell us who's at the door and who's this person here to see," Stephen retorted.

"I'll answer the door," Melanie quickly said while standing. As she moved towards the front door, she continued to say, "It's too crowded for me in here anyway."

"I know what you mean by that, young lady," Stephen informed.

"I wasn't trying to hide it, Dad," Melanie shot back.

"Hey, you will respect me," Stephen warned.

"I am respecting you," Melanie replied before reaching the front door.

"And how about you respecting her," Becca quickly told Stephen. "You have been disrespecting her every chance you get since I've been here."

As Melanie was opening the door, she heard Stephen say, "I'm just trying to prove to her that there is no such thing as psychics."

As the door was opening wide, Melanie and Bethany (a seventeen-year-old who Melanie knew by sight and reputation from high school) heard Becca replying, "Stephen, I'm not a strong psychic as Melanie is, but I'm a psychic too."

Bethany stood 5' 7" and as she looked up at Melanie, and in a surprised tone, she asked, "You're a psychic?"

Melanie stepped out on the porch, and as she was shutting the door behind her, she replied, "I am."

"You're a psychic with schizophrenia?" Bethany asked.

"Bethany, I'm not schizophrenic," Melanie replied and glancing at a sapphire ring that was on Bethany's right ring finger.

"You know who I am?" Bethany asked.

"Bethany, you are only one grade in front of me and our lockers aren't that far apart," Melanie pointed out.

"I know, but I didn't thank you knew who I was," Bethany said.

"Would you have been any friendlier to me if you had known that I knew?" Melanie asked.

Bethany thought for a second before saying, "Since you're not a schizophrenic, I think I made a mistake by coming here."

Before Bethany had a chance to turn away, Melanie told her, "You came here for a purpose, Bethany, and I'm guessing that something bizarre is either happening to you or around you."

"Okay, that was too accurate to be a guess," Bethany replied.

"Bethany, there are objects out in this world that are imbued with supernatural magic," Melanie replied. "And I can sense that your sapphire ring is one of them."

"I just bought this ring," Bethany said.

"I hope you didn't pay too much for it," Melanie replied.

"I didn't, but I like it," Bethany said.

"Okay, well, what bizarre thing is happening around you?" Melanie asked.

"I'm seeing and hearing people and things that are either not there or don't make sense," Bethany replied.

"The people you are seeing and hearing could be ghosts," Melanie began. "But what kind of things are you seeing though?"

"I went to 'Mariano's' today and when I pulled into the lot, my eyes blurred and when they cleared, the name to the grocery store had changed to 'Starr's Groceries.' I quickly stopped driving and stared at the name. After a few seconds of staring, my eyes blurred again and when they again cleared, the name of the store had changed back to 'Mariano's."

Melanie pursed her lips before requesting, "Can I hold your ring? Holding your ring will most likely give me a vision."

"Okay, sure," Bethany replied before taking off her ring and holding it out for Melanie to take.

Melanie took a calming breath and forced herself to take hold of the ring. She fell into a trance as soon as she took hold of it and after several seconds, she looked at Bethany.

"You blanked out for almost a minute as I heard that you sometimes do," Bethany informed.

Melanie slightly grinned before saying, "I didn't blank out; I had a vision."

"Does your vision explain why I'm seeing people appear and disappear around me, along with those other bizarre things that I'm seeing?"

"Bethany, either reality is changing around you and this ring is helping you to keep your original memories or this ring is allowing you to see into alternate realities," Melanie replied.

"Let's pretend that I didn't understand a word that you just said," Bethany replied.

Melanie amusingly grinned before explaining the alternate reality theory and what were reality shifts to Bethany.

Once Melanie was done explaining, Melanie told Bethany, "I know you told me that you like this ring, Bethany, but this ring needs to be treated as if it's a cursed object, and I know where to take cursed… or magically dangerous objects so people won't get hurt by them."

"Since that ring is making me see into alternate realities, then I want no part of that ring," Bethany quickly assured Melanie. "So take it and do what you want with it."

"What I'm going to do with it is give it to someone who keeps magically dangerous objects like this ring away from people," Melanie replied.

"I'm not concern with what you do with it," Bethany told her. "Anyway, I like to thank you for your help, and I'm going to go."

"Okay," Melanie replied. "Have a good day."

"Good day," Bethany replied before turning and walking away.

Melanie stuck the ring into her front pocket before re-entering the house, and when she stepped into the living room, she told her parents, "Mom. Dad, I need to talk with Nicki for a minute. I'll be back in about…" Melanie shrugged and made a sound as if she was merely guessing before continuing, "Thirty… forty minutes."

"Okay," April replied.

"Do you mind if I come with you?" Robin asked.

"I don't mind," Melanie replied.

"I'll come too," Tonya said as she and Robin stood up.

"Alright," Melanie replied. "We'll be back."

Melanie, Tonya and Robin left the house, and by the time they reached the sidewalk, Robin asked, "So, do you have a boyfriend yet, Mel?"

"No," Melanie replied.

"You have been out on a date, at least, right?" Robin asked.

"Not yet," Melanie replied.

"Are you not being asked out because of your tallness?" Robin asked.

"I have been asked out by three guys… and one seventeen-year-old woman within the last… nine months," Melanie began. "I'm not into women and I made certain that she knew it. As for the guys who asked me out…" Melanie shrugged. "I just didn't see them as someone I wanted to date."

"So you're picky," Tonya commented.

"I don't mean to be, but I am," Melanie replied. "I like guys with muscles, and so far, every guy that had asked me out probably couldn't lift more than fifty pounds."

"It sounds like if you want a date, you need to hang out by a gym," Tonya replied.

"That's a thought," Melanie replied as she seriously considered doing so.

Melanie, Tonya and Robin's conversation turned and remained casual during their walk to 'Curious Goods'.

At 'Curious Goods', Roseanne (Lucas's thirty-year-old sister and Kirsten's mom) was there picking up Kirsten.

Roseanne stood 5' 5", and she, Nicki, Lucas, Lizzy and Kirsten were in front of the display-case/counter as she and Nicki were discussing when and where Lizzy and Kirsten can get together again to play.

Nicki and Roseanne's discussion had barely begun before Melanie, Tonya and Robin stepped in and causing the doorbell to clang.

When all eyes turned towards Melanie, Tonya and Robin, Melanie told them, "Sorry to interrupt."

"You're fine," Nicki assured Melanie. "Have you come in to shop?"

"They might have," Melanie replied while gesturing to them. "They're my cousins, Tonya and Robin. They're visiting from Saint Charles, Missouri."

"Welcome to 'Curious Goods', Tonya and Robin," Nicki told them before gesturing around. "You're welcome to look around."

"Thanks," Tonya and Robin replied before moving deeper into the store to look.

"Nicki, can I talk with you for a moment?" Melanie requested as she stepped closer to Nicki. "It's personal."

"Sure, one moment," Nicki replied.

When Nicki turned back towards Roseanne, Roseanne returned her attention back to Nicki as well and said, "As I was about to say, starting tomorrow Kirsten will be with her grandparents and she will be there the entire week. So not this Tuesday, but the Tuesday after that, Kirsten and I could come by, pick up Lizzy and we could all go to the movies."

"Lizzy, in nine days from now, would you like to go to the movies with Kirsten and her mom?" Nicki asked.

"Yes," Lizzy quickly replied with a vigorous nod.

"Then it's settled," Roseanne replied. "Lizzy. Kirsten and I will see you in two Tuesdays from now."

"Okay," Lizzy replied.

Nicki, Lizzy and Lucas exchanged parting pleasantries with Roseanne and Kirsten, and when Roseanne and Kirsten turned towards the entrance to leave, Roseanne glanced at Melanie.

Melanie responded to Roseanne's glance with a polite grin.

Roseanne gave Melanie a polite nod before she and Kirsten walked past her.

"Nicki, I should go to, but I'll be back when you close up shop," Lucas told her.

"Okay," Nicki replied with a nod.

Before Lucas stepped away, he gave Nicki a kiss that lasted a couple of seconds.

As Lucas was walking away, Nicki told Lizzy to go to the lounging area and watch TV.

"Okay," Lizzy replied before walking away.

Once Lizzy was halfway to the lounging area, Nicki turned her attention towards Melanie and asked, "Melanie, what do you need to talk with me about?"

"I acquired a piece of jewelry that Athena is looking for," Melanie said barely loud enough for Nicki to hear and pulling out the ring from her front pocket.

"Really?" Nicki rhetorically questioned with a grin. "That's the second item today that you came across."

"I didn't exactly come across the barbell," Melanie replied as Lucas was leaving the store.

"True, but you did learn who had it before any one of us could even start a proper search," Nicki replied before gesturing towards the ring. "Anyway, is that one of the pieces of jewelry that Athena is looking for?"

"It is," Melanie replied while holding it out for Nicki to take. "Bethany—a seventeen-year-old who goes to the same school as me—had it. It was making her see the reality around her differently for a short time, and she showed up at my door a little bit ago while thinking that she was becoming delusional from schizophrenia."

"And why did she show up at your door instead of going to the hospital?" Nicki asked.

"Most people at my school think that I'm a schizophrenic and my guess, Bethany showed up at my door to learn about the disease from me. Anyway, after she showed up at my door, I felt the magic of the ring immediately and luckily I was able to convince her to give up the ring."

"And now I will put the ring in the vault and wait for Athena to show up," Nicki replied.

Melanie nodded with a grin before Nicki could turn and leave. As Nicki was making her way towards the back, Melanie joined Tonya and Robin. Robin was carrying a vintage doll.

When Melanie saw the doll in Robin's hand, she gestured and asked, "Do you still collect dolls?"

"I do, and this is perfect for my collection," Robin replied. "And it's reasonably priced."

"Nicki doesn't go overboard with her prices," Melanie replied. She then gestured. "Her books are reasonably priced as well."

Melanie remained with Tonya and Robin. Lizzy had turned on one of her DVD movies and then set the volume for the TV slightly loud.

When Nicki returned from the basement, she told Lizzy to turn down the TV.

Once the volume for the TV was set at a comfortable level, Robin was ready to pay for the doll. Tonya had also found a necklace that appealed to her, and once Robin and Tonya paid for the two items, Melanie, Tonya and Robin left the store.

Across town at Manuel's parents' house, Chloe, Manuel, Manuel's parents (Alejandro and Maria), Julius and Sophia (Chloe and Manuel's fourteen-year-old daughter) were in the living room while watching home videos that Maria had filmed over the past seventeen years. Julius and Sophia were in most of the movies, and those movies were on Alejandro and Maria's laptop.

After three and a half hours of watching home movies, the last movie came to an end.

As Maria went to closed down the program, she asked Julius, "So did any of that jog your memory?"

"I'm sorry," Julius answered honestly. "Watching those movies felt as though I was watching someone other than me."

"The doctors said that it could take months for your memories to return," Manuel replied. "So don't get discourage when your memories don't return right away."

"I won't," Julius replied. "And since we watched all of the movies, what should we try next?"

"You had created and posted several videos on YouTube and Facebook," Sophia told him. "You could watch those."

"What are YouTube and Facebook?" Julius asked Sophia.

"Grandma? Grandpa? Can I use your computer?" Sophia asked.

"Of course" and "Sure" were Alejandro's and Maria's responses.

Within a short time, Sophia had signed into her Facebook account and brought up one of Julius's videos that she had access to. She then played it for everyone to see. When that video came to an end, Sophia brought up another video and played that.

As the minutes slowly passed, Sophia brought up every one of Julius's videos one after the other.

Around 5:35 P.M., at Firehouse 51, Chief Frank Lutz's crew (the crew who worked the opposite days to Chief Boden's crew) were finishing their pizza slices that Chief Lutz's had bought his crew.

Outside, Paige pulled up and saw that the bay doors to the firehouse were open.

After parking her Subaru Forester on the street in front of the firehouse, she got out and entered the fire house by the bay doors and hollered, "Hello."

Fireman Adrian Cortez was the closes one to the vehicles and heard Paige's voice calling out.

Once Adrian entered the bay and saw who had hollered out, he questioned, "May I help you, miss?"

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Severide," Paige replied. "Is he here?"

"He worked last shift, so he is off right now," Adrian replied.

While accepting Adrian's response, Paige replied, "Can I give you my cellphone number for you to give to him? I really need his help with my daughter before my daughter accidently catches the world on fire."

"Is your daughter playing around with fire?" Adrian questioned.

"No, it appears that my daughter doesn't need to play with fire to reduce a building to ashes," Paige replied. "She just has to be scared out of her mind by something."

"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit confused by what you are telling me," Adrian admitted.

"Lieutenant Severide will understand," Paige assured Adrian. "So can I give you my cellphone number for you to give to him and a message saying that his psychic friend was right?"

With a puzzled look on his face, Adrian hesitated to say, "Ah, sure. I'll pass him your phone number and your message."

"Great," Paige replied as she went into her purse. She had to move a printout article of Kelly out of the way so she could get to her small notepad and pen.

Within seconds, Paige had written out her name and cellphone number on a blank sheet of notepad paper. She then ripped out the page and handed it to Adrian.

"I'll make sure that Lieutenant Severide gets this and your message," Adrian said as he held up the paper.

"Thank you," Paige replied.

"No problem," Adrian replied before he and Paige went their respective ways.

Paige returned to her Subaru Forester and drove away.

Adrian returned to the common area and stepped up to Coe Marnelle.

When Coe saw that there was something on his mind, he asked, "What?"

"Is Severide friends with a psychic?" Adrian questioned.

"How in hell should I know if Severide friends with a psychic?" Coe rhetorically questioned.

"Okay, well a woman stopped by," Adrian began. "She told me that she wants Severide's help with her daughter before her daughter accidently catches the world on fire. I inquired about her daughter playing with fire, but she told me that her daughter doesn't need to play with fire. Her daughter just has to be scared out of her mind by something."

"What did she mean by that?" Coe questioned.

"I asked her that exact question, but all she would say was that Severide would know what she meant," Adrian replied. "She then told me to tell Severide that his psychic friend was right, and that is why I asked if Severide knew a psychic."

"Okay, well, I don't know if he knows any psychics or not," Coe replied as he grabbed his smartphone that was attached to his belt. "I'll call him though and tell him that someone is looking for him."

Adrian held out the paper with Paige's name and number on it while saying, "Here's the woman's name and number."

Coe took the paper before dialing Kelly's cellphone number.

The phone rang a couple of times before Kelly answered with, "Coe, what's up?"

Coe looked at the paper while saying, "A woman by the name of Paige Weber came by. She's seeking your help with her daughter before her daughter accidently catches the world on fire. Is Paige Weber's daughter playing with fire?"

"As unbelievable as this sounds, her daughter has the psychic ability to start fires with her mind when she's frightened," Kelly informed.

"Please say you're kidding," Coe quickly requested.

"I wish I was kidding, but I'm not," Kelly replied. "Mrs. Weber and her daughter Samantha didn't even know that Samantha was starting fires. It took Melanie—another psychic—to point it out and even then Mrs. Weber refused to believe Melanie. I guess something else had happened for Mrs. Weber to change her belief that Samantha is catching things on fire."

"So are you and Melanie going to help Mrs. Weber and Samantha?" Coe asked.

"I'll help however I can, but I don't know how much help I will be," Kelly replied.

"What about your friend Melanie? Will she help?" Coe questioned.

"Melanie is a sixteen-year-old girl who I met yesterday," Kelly replied. "So we aren't exactly friends. But I'm certain that she will help if Mrs. Weber would ask her. Anyway, did Mrs. Weber give you her number?"

"Yeah, I have it," Coe replied. "Are you ready for me to give it to you?"

"Hold on. Let me get a pencil and paper," Kelly replied.

"Alright," Coe replied. "Just tell me when you're ready."

Kelly was quiet for a moment before announcing that he was ready for the phone number.

After Coe gave Kelly Paige's number, the two said their goodbyes and hung up.

Across town, Timmy had lost the muscle growth that he had gained from Armin and a small percentage of his own muscles.

In Timmy's basement, Timmy had bench-pressed ten reps of forty pounds (his maximum number of reps for the set weight) before having the urge to use the bathroom.

Just as Timmy had entered the bathroom, Tiffany returned to the house after being gone for slightly more than twenty-four hours.

Tiffany's pants were dirty, so after entering the house from the backdoor (the kitchen door) and saying 'hi' to Joyce, she went directly to the basement to change pants.

Tiffany spotted the weight set and the bench right away, and after changing her pants, she went to see if she could lift the weights.

When Timmy returned to the basement and saw that Tiffany was bench-pressing the forty-pound weights, he told her, "Tiffany, you shouldn't be doing that." Tiffany ignored him and added another rep. "Tiffany."

Tiffany put the barbell back onto the barbell support hangers before sitting upright and saying, "I was seeing how many times I can lift it. So don't have a cow."

"Yes, well, Mom and Dad would blame me if you would have gotten hurt," Timmy told her.

"Well, you can hurt yourself as well as I can," Tiffany replied before standing up. "Anyway, I can lift it more than ten times."

"You can't lift that more than ten times," Timmy replied.

"I could have if you didn't interrupt me," Tiffany replied. "I did ten before you stopped me and I'm certain that I could have done a few more."

"You did ten reps?" Timmy questioned incredulously.

"Well, I lifted it up and down ten times, and I could have done more," Tiffany replied.

"Show me how many times you can lift that," Timmy told her while gesturing towards the barbell.

"Aren't you scared that I might hurt myself?" Tiffany questioned in a tone as if to make a point.

"I'll spot you so you won't hurt yourself," Timmy replied.

"What do you mean that you will spot me?" Tiffany questioned.

"I'll stand behind you to catch the weight, if you fail to lift it," Timmy told her. "So lift the weight."

"Fine," Tiffany replied before retaking her spot on the weight bench.

Tiffany then took a couple of breaths before gripping the barbell and began lifting.

Timmy counted out each rep as Tiffany did them and when Timmy saw that the weight's resistance was building up after Tiffany's seventh rep, he prepared himself to catch the barbell if he needed to.

Timmy continued to announce each of Tiffany's rep, but when Tiffany reached her tenth rep, Timmy's voice became difficult to hear.

As Tiffany continued, she pushed out two more reps before placing the barbell back onto the barbell support hangers.

"Twelve," Tiffany replied while sitting up. "I can do twelve, and I think I could have done more the first time if you didn't interrupt me."

"Good, you can do twelve," Timmy replied as if his feelings were hurt. "Now do you mind going back upstairs so I can work out in private?"

"I can stay down here and spot you," Tiffany suggested.

"I don't need your help," Timmy slightly snapped.

"I'm just offering; geez," Tiffany replied.

"Well, I just want to do this in private," Timmy told her.

"Fine, I'm going, but you can hurt yourself as well as I can," Tiffany replied. "And Mom and Dad will make you get rid of those when you do."

As Tiffany was about to walk away, Timmy told her, "Okay, fine. You can stay and spot me, but when you can see how many reps I can do, I don't want you laughing or telling people."

"Why would I laugh or tell people about how many reps you can do?" Tiffany questioned. "Whatever reps are."

"When you lifted the weights, you did twelve reps," Timmy informed.

"Okay," Tiffany replied in an accepting tone. "So how many reps can you do?"

"Earlier, I was only able to do ten reps, but that was without a spotter," Timmy replied. "I didn't want to chance more than ten by myself."

"Okay, well, I'll spot you," Tiffany replied. "Let's see how many reps you can do now."

Timmy nodded before taking his place on the bench and gripping the barbell. As he lifted the barbell from its support hangers, he acted as if it was a slight struggle.

Tiffany stood close by and was ready to grab the bar if she needed to, and as Timmy slowly did his reps, she counted out each one as Timmy did earlier.

Timmy struggled to get his tenth and eleventh reps, and after a failed attempt to push out a twelfth one, he told Tiffany to take the bar.

Tiffany quickly took the bar and eased it onto the support hangers.

Timmy sat up before saying, "It appears that eleven is the best I can do."

"You should eat and drink things with protein," Tiffany replied. "I heard it's essential during weight training."

"What do you know about weight training?" Timmy questioned.

"Mr. Redding weight trains and I heard him tell people that getting enough protein is essential for muscle growth," Tiffany replied.

"Who's Mr. Redding?" Timmy questioned.

"He's Ashley's dad," Tiffany replied.

"You just came from Ashley's house, didn't you?" Timmy asked.

"I did," Tiffany replied. "Why?"

"I was thinking that if Ashley and her dad are still at home, then we can go over there," Timmy replied. "I want to get Mr. Redding's advice on weight training."

"I can call Ashley and see if she is still at home," Tiffany suggested.

"Okay, do it," Timmy replied.

Tiffany nodded before walking away.

After Tiffany had left the basement, Timmy went to bench-press the barbell again; however, he was only able to push out eight reps.

Once the barbell was resting on the support hangers, he stood up and left the basement.

Timmy was closing the basement door, when Tiffany stepped up to him and said, "Ashley and her dad are still at home. Do you still want to go over there?"

"I do, so let's tell Mom that we are going out for a little bit," Timmy told her.

"She's in the kitchen," Tiffany said before she and Timmy walked towards the kitchen.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	20. A New Beginning Part 15

**A New Beginning Part 15**

In the immortal realm, the devil had augmented Kristopher's ability so Kristopher was able to send demons into the past between the years 1000 A.D. and the present date in order for them to create havoc and change the past.

Kristopher's ability was also augmented so that he and one other of his choosing were able to travel between those dates as well.

Kristopher's choice was Neopolis (the great-grandson of the sea god Poseidon); however, Neopolis was benevolent, so before Kristopher could cast the incantation that would give Neopolis the time-traveling ability, he had to cast an incantation that would magically enthrall Neopolis.

The devil chose four others (four ocean traveling demons) that would have the time-traveling ability as Neopolis as well, and these four demons would be Neopolis's escorts and guardians.

Around 6:00 A.M. Eastern European Time, on a small ocean ship above Poseidon's realm (within the Aegean Sea), Kristopher successfully cast the incantation that enthralled Neopolis.

A half-mortal that swam in Poseidon's realm came close enough to Kristopher and Neopolis to witness what Kristopher had done. The half-mortal then hid himself and secretly watched as Kristopher cast the incantation that gave Neopolis the time-traveling ability.

Once the time-traveling incantation was cast, Kristopher ordered Neopolis to randomly jump back and forth between the year 1000 A.D. and the year 2000 A.D. and to create havoc within the seven seas.

Neopolis acknowledged his orders with a nod, and after Neopolis and the four demons each wrapped themselves in a maelstrom they disappeared from sight.

Once Neopolis and the four demons were gone, Kristopher wrapped himself in a whirlwind and disappeared as well while leaving the ship that he was on a derelict.

Once Kristopher was gone, the half-mortal that was watching swam as fast as he could towards Poseidon's kingdom.

Moments later, Kristopher reappeared within Castle Park in Bristol, England—where a group of vampires were waiting. Once there, Kristopher began sending each of the vampires—one at a time—into the past.

Once the last vampire was in the past, Kristopher again wrapped himself in a whirlwind and disappeared from sight. He then reappeared seconds later within Central Park in New York City, United States—where a small group of human/demon shapeshifters were waiting. Once there, Kristopher began sending each of the demons—one at a time—into the past as well.

In the immortal realm, the Gods and half-mortals (demigods) immediately went from having memories from a single timeline to having memories of two timelines (the original timeline and the alternate timeline) because of the Dark Lord's demons that were currently being sent into the past.

In Poseidon's realm, once Poseidon had heard about what Kristopher had done, he immediately reached out his mind to discover what else Kristopher was guilty of. He then went to Mount Olympus.

In front of Athena, Apollo, Hermes and Aries—as they were present and discussing the knowledge of the two timelines within Zeus's chamber when Poseidon had arrived—Poseidon told Zeus about all of the crimes that Kristopher had committed and what he had done to Neopolis.

"That doesn't make sense," Athena began after hearing what Poseidon had to say. "The Dark Lord doesn't do anything unless it benefits his cause, and changing history doesn't benefit him in the least."

"It might benefit him in ways that we can't see," Apollo replied.

"Regardless, those demons sent into the past have to be stop," Zeus replied. "However, we can't chase after them ourselves without causing a severe cosmic disturbance. Sending half-mortals after them will cause a severe cosmic disturbance as well. So—for the first time in over two thousand years—I will have to choose mortals as our champions."

"But who will you choose, Father?" Apollo questioned. "Most mortals today don't even believe in demons and the ones who do... well, they are very close of becoming demons themselves."

"As true as that is, I will still have to select mortals as our champions," Zeus began. "Athena, Apollo and Hermes, you three have spent the most time in the mortal realm during the past few weeks. If you three have suggestions on the ones I should choose to go after those demons, then now is the time to speak up."

Athena was the first to mentally list eight candidates who each lived in a different city. She spoke mentally because not only did that told Zeus who they were, but it had also told Zeus on where to find them.

Apollo mentally listed sixteen candidates after Athena did. Eight of the candidates lived in New York City.

Hermes mentally listed another seven candidates. Three of the candidates who Hermes had listed lived in Cambridge, England while the remaining four candidates each lived within the United States.

"Thank you," Zeus verbally told Athena, Apollo and Hermes. "I will consider all thirty-one of those mortals before I make my decision. Now I would like to be alone so I can meditate on my decision."

"Of course," Athena, Apollo, Hermes, Aries and Poseidon replied before leaving Zeus's chamber.

During the passing hours, as Zeus meditated on his decision, the Gods' and half-mortals' memories changed again from having two possible timelines to having confusing memories of seventeen possible timelines

The Fates were able to keep up with the changes within the seventeen possible timelines better than the others, and after the Fates had seen varying subsets of the same thirty mortals in multiple time periods who were battling the Dark Lord's demons in each of the timelines, they sent a message to Zeus of what they saw.

As Zeus looked over the message that the Fates had sent him, he noticed that most of the mortals who were battling the demons were also the candidates from Athena's, Apollo's and Hermes's lists.

After Melanie had drifted off to sleep around 11:00 P.M., Sunday night, she dreamed off and on throughout the night about being at her high school and attending history class that was being taught by Mrs. Schiller—her history teacher from her freshman year. However, each time her dreamed ended and then began again, Mrs. Schiller would cover the same material, but with a different historical outcome.

When Melanie's alarm woke her up at 7:30 A.M., she shut it off and then lay there while thinking about what she had dreamt.

After a moment of lying there, Melanie got up and grabbed clean bra and panties from her drawer and pink slacks and a pinkish paisley pullover shirt from her closet, and then entered the shower.

In Twin Falls, Idaho, around 6:50 A.M. Mountain Time, Dolores Lubbock—the foster mother to Veronica (Ronnie) Blackfeather, Bryan Cooper and Calvin Hardin—opened Ronnie's door and knocked hard on the wooden frame of the doorway.

Dolores was thirty-six-years old. She stood 5' 7" and was slightly overweight. She had blue eyes and her brown hair barely touched her shoulders. The clothes she had on were blue slacks, paisley blouse and black flat shoes. A nametag for a local grocery store was pinned to the left side of her shirt at the chest.

Ronnie was an attractive and slender Native American girl from the Shoshone-Bannock tribe. She had turned sixteen last Saturday, and she stood 5' 6". Her somewhat lengthy fingernails were unpolished. She had brown eyes and long black hair that fell to the small of her back.

Ronnie had been in foster care since her parents were sentenced to twelve years in federal prison five years ago for one count of accidental manslaughter and vandalizing a government research facility. Three others who were with Ronnie's parents at the time were also sentenced to twelve years in prison as well.

Bryan (a Caucasian) and Calvin (a Mulatto) were both eleven years old; although Bryan's twelfth birthday was in July and Calvin's twelfth birthday is in December. Also Bryan had been in foster care for four years and Calvin had been in foster care for two years.

When Ronnie didn't wake up from her dream that was making her eye's rapidly flutter and her body occasionally jerk in a certain direction, Dolores again knocked hard.

"Ronnie," Dolores called out. "Time to wake up."

Ronnie—while disoriented—shot up into a sitting position and vigorously looked around until she recognized where she was at.

Dolores pursed her lips and when Ronnie looked at her, she said, "I take it that you were having one of your demonic dreams."

"I thought you didn't what to hear about my dreams," Ronnie replied.

"I don't," Dolores told her. "I was making an observation. Anyway, it's time to get up. I want you out of the house and looking for a job before I leave for work."

"Do I have time to eat breakfast before you kick me out," Ronnie asked.

"Don't be dramatic, Ronnie," Dolores ordered. "I just want you to find a job as quickly as possible so you can help me with the bills around here."

"Stop buying lobster twice a week and eat the same crap you feed us and then you might start having enough money to pay the bills," Ronnie snapped.

"Just get your ass out of bed; get dressed and go find a job," Dolores ordered in an unpleasant tone.

"Whatever you say, Ms. Lubbock," Ronnie replied before moving to get out of bed. Dolores turned and after she left the room, Ronnie mumbled, "If only you knew that I'm planning to emancipate myself once I find a job, you cretin."

Ronnie was wearing panties and a night shirt that was long enough to cover her upper legs as she moved from the bed to the dresser. Once at the dresser she pulled out a bra, her best pair of blue jeans and a pullover short-sleeve purple shirt. She then proceeded to change clothes.

Once Ronnie had her bra, pants and shirt on, she put on her light blue tennis shoes. She then brushed her long hair, put on her earrings, her dream-catcher necklace, her watch and the few rings that she wore before making her way to the kitchen.

After Ronnie entered the kitchen, she saw Dolores—while sitting in front of a crumb filled plate that had once held a ham sandwich—staring at her as if to criticize something.

"Now what?" Ronnie asked as she moved towards the bowls.

"I got you slacks and a blouse," Dolores pointed out as Ronnie grabbed the bowl. "You should wear them and those ankle boots that you bought Saturday when you go out and look for a job."

As Ronnie moved towards the cereal, she replied, "I just turned sixteen, so the only job I'm qualified to do is fast-food and I doubt that they care how I'm dress when I fill out the job application."

"Obviously, you'll have to learn this lesson on your own," Dolores told Ronnie as Ronnie was grabbing the cereal. "And, FYI, until you can find a job, I will be kicking you out the door every morning before I go to work and you are not to come home until after 4:00 P.M. or until you get a job."

Ronnie shrugged before saying, "Fine."

"And don't think about sneaking back into the house after I leave for work, missy," Dolores added as Ronnie was grabbing the milk. "Barney will be here to watch Bryan and Calvin and he will know not to let you into the house before four."

"Okay, well, can you tell him to let me in around noon, so I can eat lunch?" Ronnie requested before she went to pour cereal into the bowl.

"Take something with you because you won't be allowed back in until after four," Dolores replied.

"Everything here that I can take has to stay refrigerated," Ronnie pointed out.

"We have potted meat," Dolores countered while gesturing to the cabinets. "So take one or two cans of that and some bread. You can also throw some chips into a baggy as well."

"Fine," Ronnie replied in an unhappy tone before she went to pour milk over her cereal.

Ronnie put the milk up after she filled her bowl and then sat down to eat.

Ronnie took two bites of her cereal in silence, and as she was preparing to take another bite, the doorbell sounded.

"That should be Barney," Dolores said before standing and moving to answer the front door.

Ronnie looked at her watch, which read 7:15 A.M. before taking the bite.

Moments later, Dolores, Barney and Kurt (Barney's sixteen-year-old nephew) entered the kitchen.

Barney was wearing blue jeans, a pullover black shirt and tennis shoes.

Kurt was wearing cargo pants, a camouflage brown and green shirt and tennis shoes.

Kurt—after falling down a flight of steps when he was eight and hitting his head—suffered from mental impairment.

Kurt also had a crush on Ronnie, and as soon as he walked in, he announced slightly louder than what was necessary, "I bought you something, Ronnie, for your birthday."

"You didn't have to buy me anything, Kurt," Ronnie told him as he was taking out a generic jewelry box from his cargo pants.

"I wanted to," Kurt told Ronnie before stepping up to her and holding it out for her to take. "It's a necklace."

"You shouldn't tell her what it is," Barney told Kurt as Ronnie took the box. "It ruins the surprise."

"It's fine that you told me what it is, Kurt," Ronnie assured him. "I'm not much for surprises anyway."

Ronnie opened the box and saw a front view of an owl with its wings spread. The chain was attached to the tips of both wings.

"It's lovely, Kurt. Thank you," Ronnie told him.

"You're welcome," Kurt said with a pleasant grin. "The man who sold me the necklace told me that the owl is Athena's symbol and she is the Goddess of foresight, knowledge and wisdom."

"I didn't know that," Ronnie honestly replied before she went to take out the necklace from the box. "I'll wear it, and maybe it will bring me good luck with finding a job."

"We can only hope," Dolores replied.

Ronnie glanced at Dolores before ignoring her and putting on the necklace.

Once Ronnie had the owl necklace on, it sat slightly below the dream-catcher necklace.

"You look pretty," Kurt told Ronnie.

"Thank you, Kurt," Ronnie replied.

"Ronnie, you need to finish eating," Dolores told her. "In a few minutes, you and I will be leaving here."

"I'm eating; I'm eating," Ronnie replied.

As Ronnie went to take another bite of her cereal, Barney said, "Kurt, come. You and I are going into the living room."

"Okay," Kurt replied before looking at Ronnie. "Good luck today, Ronnie."

"Thank you, Kurt," Ronnie replied.

As Ronnie went to take another bite, Barney and Kurt left the kitchen.

Minutes later, as Dolores drove away from the house, Ronnie rode away on her bike in another direction. The long strap of Ronnie's light brown leather purse crossed her back and chest from her left shoulder as her purse hung near her right hip.

Ronnie rode her bike to the nearest strip mall that had eight businesses and the businesses were respectively as Ronnie approached, Coleman's Chiropractor office, 'Albright Hair Salon'; 'Conway's Cell Phone Repair Shop'; 'Harper's Deli'; 'Dragon's Lore' new age bookstore that sold new and used books and items on the supernatural, the paranormal and the occults; Paul's Martial Art Studio; Kelly's Music Store that sold new and used musical instruments, and 'Crystal's Treasures' thrift shop. Across the street of the strip mall was a McDonald's restaurant.

As Ronnie was riding up to the strip mall and saw that the 'help wanted' sign was still in the bookstore's window, she uttered, "Yes."

Ronnie rode her bike up to the front door of the bookstore and saw that the store was closed, but it opened at 10:00 A.M. She then looked at her watch and saw that it was only 7:40 A.M.

Ronnie looked at the other businesses within the strip mall and saw that they were also closed. The chiropractor office was the first one to open and that would open at 9:00 A.M.

After looking around and considering her options, Ronnie went into her purse, pulled out what little cash she had and counted it, which was eight dollars. She then rode her bike across the street to the McDonald's restaurant.

Ronnie parked her bike, went inside and ordered an orange juice to drink. Once she had her orange juice, she turned towards the busy seating area to look for a place to sit.

Almost immediately Ronnie saw Janet Fox—while sitting by herself and eating a breakfast sandwich and hash browns—waving for her to come over.

Janet and her twin brother Jayce lived on the same block as Ronnie, so Ronnie was very familiar with Janet and her family. Janet and Jayce had turned eighteen last November. Janet stood 5' 8" while Jayce stood 5' 11". Also Janet and Jayce had just recently graduated high school—the same school that Ronnie was currently going to be a sophomore in when school began again."

Janet was dressed in blue jeans, a white Taylor Swift T-Shirt and light blue tennis shoes.

Without hesitation, Ronnie walked over to Janet and before she could say anything, Janet invited her to join her.

Ronnie nodded, and as she was taking her seat she said, "It's been about two weeks since I last saw you, Janet. So how have you been?"

"Stressed out, mainly," Janet replied.

"No doubt," Ronnie replied. "I would be stressed out too while wondering if I had everything in order or wondering if I had everything I need before going off to college."

"That's not what got me stressed out," Janet replied. "In fact, I have a check list for that."

"Then why are you stressed out?" Ronnie asked before taking a drink.

"I'm worried about Jayce," Janet replied. "He got hurt last Saturday. In fact, he momentarily died. He's stable now though, and awake and alert, but he has amnesia."

Ronnie swallowed the drink before saying, "Yikes. Does that mean he'll be in the hospital for a while?"

"No, actually, Jayce will be released today," Janet said.

"The doctors are releasing him while he has amnesia?" Ronnie asked.

"It could take months before he can start remembering… if he remembers anything at all," Janet began. "And the doctors believe that the best thing for him is to be around familiar surroundings and the people he knows."

"I see the logic in that," Ronnie replied.

Janet slightly grinned before saying, "Anyway, what brings you out so early?"

"Dolores is pushing me to find a job and she is planning on kicking me out of the house each morning until I find one," Ronnie replied. "She thinks that she will be using my money for her own purposes, but little does she know that once I get a job, I'll be petitioning the courts to emancipate myself."

"When you become ready to petition the courts, tell me first and I might be able to get my cousin Allison to represent you," Janet told her.

"Allison is a lawyer?" Ronnie questioned. "Isn't she only twenty-years-old?"

"You're thinking about Alice," Janet informed. "Alice is my cousin on my dad's side. Allison is my cousin on my mom's side and she's twenty-six, and she has been practicing law with her dad for about a year now. Anyway, have you filled out any job application yet?"

"Not yet. I'm going to wait until the bookstore across the street opens up and apply there," Ronnie replied loud enough to draw Bridget O'Brien's attention.

Bridget was the owner to 'Dragons' Lore' bookstore. She was twenty-eight-years-old. She stood 5' 9" and her auburn hair fell slightly passed her shoulders. She was eating breakfast at the next table with her sister Riley and Riley's ten-year-old daughter Amanda. Riley was thirty-one and stood 5' 8", and both she and Bridget were born and raised in London, England.

"Why do you want to work there?" Janet asked Ronnie.

Bridget wanted to hear Ronnie's answer and covertly told Riley and Amanda that she wanted to listen to Ronnie and Janet.

"There is a 'help wanted' sign in the window, so the person who owns it is definitely hiring," Ronnie began. "Also, I like books; although I know I won't be able to read the books, but I do read a lot. In fact, I get books from the library all the time. So I'm very knowledgeable about books."

"Every applicant who applies for the bookstore job could most likely say that, Ronnie," Janet pointed out. "Plus you had just turned sixteen and have never worked before, so why should the bookstore owner hire you over someone with more experience."

"I'm a quick learner, so I know I can do the job even if I do lack the experience," Ronnie said in a certain tone. "I'm friendly. I have a good memory, so I know it won't take me long to learn each customer's preference and to learn where each book is located within the store. I can also do arithmetic in my head when most people need to use a calculator."

"All good qualities, Ronnie, that will be useful with any job you might get hired for," Janet pointed out. "So why do you want to work for the bookstore over… let's say here at McDonalds?"

"If it comes down to it, I will accept a job here or at another fast-food restaurant, but I know I would learn more and get more out of my work experience if I work at the bookstore. I would definitely learn more about a person if the person would ask for a book on crime drama verses asking for a Bic Mac."

"I'm sorry for my ease dropping and inserting myself into your private conversation, Ronnie and… and Ronnie's friend, but I feel that I should speak out," Bridget said in her English accent. Ronnie and Janet shot her curious looks. "One of the questions you will get ask when applying for the job at the bookstore, Ronnie, will be, 'where do you see yourself this time next year?'" Ronnie's curious expression shifted to a slight confused one. "Do you see yourself working for the bookstore this time next year or will you work there for a few months and then—after gaining work experience—go out and find a better job?"

"If I can get the job at the bookstore, I see myself working there next year and the year after that," Ronnie honestly replied. "In fact, since my chances of going to college in two… or three years is slim to none, I see myself working there for many years… providing I can get the job."

"Why do you feel as though you have no chance to go to college? Bridget curiously asked.

"I can't afford it," Ronnie simply replied.

"Your parents wouldn't help you out?" Bridget asked.

"I'm in foster care," Ronnie shared in a slightly small voice.

"Oh, um, your foster parents won't help you to get into college?" Bridget asked.

"I only have a foster mother and if she gets her way, she will be using my paychecks to either support her luxury lifestyle or to elevate it." Ronnie replied. "And I'm working on a strategy to stop that. Anyway, do you know of any other questions that the bookstore owner might ask? I would like to be prepared."

Bridget grinned before saying, "You don't need to prepare, Ronnie. Your unprepared answers have impressed me."

"Thanks; I appreciate your input, but I do want the job, so what I need is to impress the bookstore owner," Ronnie replied.

Bridget held her grin and as she went into her purse, she said, "Ronnie, I would like to properly introduce myself to you. My name is Bridget O'Brien."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. O'Brien," Ronnie replied in a tone as if she didn't know what else to say. She glanced at Riley and Amanda and saw an amused grin on Riley's face. "Even though most everyone calls me Ronnie, my actual name is Veronica—Veronica Blackfeather, and my friend's name is Janet Fox."

Bridget continued to hold her grin, and as she pulled out a business card, she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you two as well, but, Ronnie, the reason why I was introducing myself to you is to let you know that I'm the owner of 'Dragons' Lore' bookstore. And to prove to you that I'm not pulling your leg, here is one of my business cards."

When Bridget held out her card, Ronnie took it and glanced at it.

"Ms. O'Brien, I really would like to work for you," Ronnie told her while looking up from the card.

"Yes, I'm aware of that fact," Bridget replied with a grin. "But, Ronnie, have you been inside my store and looked at any of my books?"

"No, but I don't go into any other bookstore either," Ronnie replied. "In fact, I have to get the books that I want to read from the library."

"Okay, well, you need to know that the books I sell are on the supernatural, the paranormal and the occults," Bridget informed. "I also sell items like jewelry, crystals, gem stones, candles, tarot cards, Ouija boards… and other whatnots that are related to the supernatural or the paranormal."

"Okay," Ronnie replied in a manner as if she was mulling it over. "But don't the words 'supernatural' and 'paranormal' mean the same?"

"Most people do use them interchangeably, but when I use the word 'supernatural', I will be referring to ghosts or spirits. When I use the word 'paranormal', I will be referring to psychics and when I use the word 'occults', I will be referring to witchcraft or sorcery," Bridget explained.

"Alright," Ronnie replied as if she didn't know what else to say.

"Since you now know what kinds of books and items I sell, do you still like to work for me?" Bridget asked.

"Yes," Ronnie quickly replied. "And regardless if you hire me or not, I'm going there any way to browse your books, and once I do get some money, I might buy some of them."

Bridget amusingly grinned before saying, "Christians with strong religious ties will accuse me of devil worshipping once they learn what I sell, and I wanted you to be aware of that fact."

"Okay," Ronnie replied. "I do believe in God, but I don't believe that selling those books and items make you a devil worshipper."

"Neither do I, Ronnie," Bridget replied. "And I like your enthusiasm to work for me, so I'm willing to give you a chance."

"Cool," Ronnie delightfully replied.

"How soon can you start?" Bridget asked.

"I can start today," Ronnie assured her. "In fact, if your store was open, I could start now."

Bridget grinned before saying, "You can start at ten; ten is when I open the store."

"Okay," Ronnie replied. "Am I dressed okay to work?"

"What you are wearing is fine," Bridget replied. "I just don't want you coming to work with dirty clothes or clothes that are ragged or torn or faded from wear... or even fashionably tattered."

"Of course. I won't," Ronnie replied.

"Oh, and I will need photo copies of your birth certificate and social security card," Bridget informed. "And it's not necessary for you to bring them to me today, but I will need those copies before next Monday. Monday is when I do payroll—when I have an employee to pay that is—and you will be paid every Tuesday while starting, not tomorrow, but next Tuesday."

"I'll get copies for you tomorrow," Ronnie replied.

"Good," Bridget replied. "Anyway, Ronnie, I'm going to finish my breakfast and continue my discussion with my sister and niece."

"Of course," Ronnie replied. "And thank you, Ms. O'Brien, for the job."

"You can call me Bridget, Ronnie, and you're welcome," she replied.

Ronnie nodded with a grin before turning her attention back to Janet.

Bridget turned her attention back to Riley and Amanda.

In Chicago, around 8:50 A.M. Central Time, at 'Curious Goods', Nicki was unlocking the door for Melanie and Jason to enter. Lizzy was upstairs in the kitchen while eating breakfast.

Nicki wore white slacks, a white and red flowery short-sleeve blouse and her black flat shoes.

Jason wore black slacks, a light blue short-sleeve shirt and black shoes.

Melanie put her purse away after entering the store and then began dusting off the curios.

Jason stayed near the cash register while Nicki went back upstairs to check on Lizzy.

About an hour later, around 9:50 A.M., Melanie and Jason were in the back part of the store while sorting through a box of twenty old to fairly new children's books that a woman had just recently sold to Nicki.

Lizzy was allowed to take one of the children's books and was looking at it in the lounging area.

Nicki was helping an elderly man to pick out an anniversary gift for his wife.

Just as Jason was getting done with adding the collection of books to the inventory, Everett and Dennis each carried in a box of cursed items into the store.

Melanie and Jason couldn't see the front door from where they were working, and when Melanie felt the cursed objects, she told Jason, "The Clancy's have found another cursed object and are bringing it in."

"You can't see from where we are standing," Jason replied as he moved to where he could see towards the front of the store. "So how can you know that?"

"I know it because I can feel the curse attached to the object," Melanie replied. "So it's either someone from the Clancy family who is here or someone is walking around with a cursed object."

As Melanie was moving to see who had walked in, Nicki was greeting them by name and telling them, "I'll be with you in a moment."

"Take your time," Dennis replied.

"I told you that it was someone from the Clancy family," Melanie continued.

"That's a good distance to be able to feel a cursed object," Jason pointed out.

"Jason, I can sense the cursed objects that are stored in the vault downstairs while I'm standing on the sidewalk outside," Melanie replied.

"Yes, well, what is in the vault is a very large collection of cursed objects in one place," Jason replied.

Melanie saw the box that was in Dennis's hands and then the box that was in Everett's hands before saying, "Yes, well, I think they're bringing in a collection as well. So by them bringing in multiple cursed objects at once might be why I can feel their curses so strongly."

"It's possible," Jason replied before he and Melanie made their way towards Everett and Dennis.

"I see that you located more items to be stored," Melanie told Everett and Dennis as she and Jason joined them.

"We got lucky and located twelve of them at a thrift shop in Joliet," Everett replied. He then began a conversation with Melanie and Jason.

* * *

To be continued.


	21. A New Beginning Part 16

**A New Beginning Part 16**

Around 10:00 A.M., Central Time, at Timmy's house, Timmy and Tiffany were home alone while Edward and Joyce were working at their donut shop.

Timmy had been up and fully dressed for over an hour and was currently using the bathroom, but Tiffany was sluggishly waking up.

Tiffany didn't put on any shoes after getting out of bed, and she was wearing her pajamas (which was now too small for her) and a brown teardrop crystal necklace that Ashley had given her to wear; although the necklace was hidden beneath Tiffany's pajama top.

After Tiffany left her bedroom, she—while half asleep on her feet and acting as if her pajamas weren't fitting right—walked up to the closed bathroom door, and when she heard sink-water running, she knocked on the door.

"I'll be out in a moment," Timmy replied before turning off the water and drying his hands on a towel. Tiffany—with her eyes closed—waited in the hallway outside the door. When Timmy opened the door, Tiffany reopened her eyes. "Okay. All…"

Timmy abruptly stopped talking when he saw that he and Tiffany were about the same height. After glancing at Tiffany's bare feet, he stared dumbfoundingly into Tiffany's eyes.

Tiffany, while acting as if she was barely awake, asked, "What?"

"You don't see it?" Timmy quickly asked.

"See what?" Tiffany questioned as if she was half asleep on her feet.

"You're barefooted, I'm wearing my new Nike tennis shoes, and you and I are about the same height when last night, I was inches taller than you," Timmy quickly said.

"Oh, wow, you're right," Tiffany uttered delightfully. "No wonder my pajama bottom and top feel as though they had shrunk. Anyway, I never knew people could grow that much overnight… not that I'm complaining."

"People can't grow that much overnight, Tiffany," Timmy retorted. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Oh my God. You have a curse item."

Tiffany shot him a confused look before saying, "Okay, I had just woken up and I have to use the bathroom real bad, and after I get out, you can explain to me what you are talking about. So will you please move out of my way?"

"Fine," Timmy replied before moving into the hallway.

Tiffany stepped in and shut the door before dropping her pajama bottoms and panties and sitting on the toilet.

Tiffany had to go slightly worse than she thought, and after getting done, she pulled up her panties and then pajama bottoms. She looked in the mirror as she washed her hands and saw that her neck was slightly longer than the average length neck. However, she didn't look out of proportion.

After leaving the bathroom, Tiffany heard movement in her bedroom. As Tiffany entered her bedroom, she saw Timmy as if he was looking for something. She then spotted a few of her stuff animals and a few of her collectible dolls on her bed.

"What are you doing?" Tiffany quickly asked.

"I'm looking for anything that you might have acquired over the last few days?" Timmy replied.

"The newest items in this room are what I got for my last birthday, and if you have forgotten, my birthday was on April 25th," Tiffany informed.

Timmy slightly smirked before saying, "I know when your birthday is. Anyway, think hard. You hadn't acquired anything new within the last few days?"

"No, Officer Bradshaw," Tiffany sarcastically said. Timmy again smirked as she continued to say, "So you can stop searching my room and tell me why you are looking for things that I might have acquired recently."

"Those barbells in the basement are from 'Bold and Intense' and that set of barbells is actually the second set I had bought," Timmy began. "I didn't know it at the time, but the first set of barbells was cursed, and when I used it, I had stolen muscles from Armin Miller..."

"Wait, I heard something about Armin Miller," Tiffany quickly said before taking a quick moment to remember what she had heard. "He died Saturday night at an urgent care center from a heart attack."

"He did," Timmy began. "He was unmuscular when he died, but an hour before that, he was extremely muscular."

"I heard something about that too, but how can an extremely muscular man lose all of his muscles within an hour?" Tiffany questioned.

"Because the first set of barbells that I bought was cursed and it had transferred Armin's muscles to me," Timmy replied.

"Timmy, you're not muscular," Tiffany pointed out. "In fact, I can lift more than you."

Timmy made a bitter face before replying, "That's because the muscle I had gained during the muscle transfer only lasts for twenty-four hours. I learned about that tidbit... and about what happened to Armin Miller yesterday morning from Monte Clancy."

"Who's Monte Clancy?" Tiffany questioned.

"He is someone who goes around the country—possibly the world—while searching and removing cursed objects from the general public," Timmy replied. "Anyway, Melanie knew Monte, along with knowing what he did. So when I showed Melanie my muscles in hopes to impress her, she knew right away that I had stumbled across a cursed object. She then—without my knowledge—contacted Monte about the cursed object that I had found. Anyway, getting back to you, Sis, I think you had come across a cursed object as well."

"Okay, well, I didn't buy or acquire anything within the past week," Tiffany replied before scratching her neck slightly and feeling the chain from the necklace. "Ooh."

"Ooh, what?" Timmy replied.

"I forgot that I was wearing Ashley's necklace," Tiffany replied.

"How long have you been wearing it?" Timmy asked.

"Ashley had given it to me to wear last night when you and I went over there," Tiffany replied.

"Okay, well, take it off," Timmy urged.

"I'll take it off and then—after getting dress—I'll take it back to Ashley," Tiffany replied as she reached to take off the necklace.

"You can't take that back to Ashley," Timmy countered.

"It's hers," Tiffany informed.

"But it's cursed," Timmy pointed out.

"We don't know that for sure," Tiffany replied. "The only thing we truly know is that I'm now as tall as you—possibly even taller." When Timmy gave her a curious look, she pointed out, "You're wearing Nike tennis shoes and I'm barefooted, and shoes will make you slightly taller than what you really are." Another bitter expression came across Timmy's face, and as Tiffany looked at his shoes, she continued to say, "In fact, your shoes are actually new and they look as if they have at least an inch sole."

"Okay-okay. I get it," Timmy slightly grumbled. "You are now about an inch taller than me."

"Anyway, as far as we actually know, my growth spurt was a bizarre happenstance and Ashley's necklace had nothing to do with it," Tiffany continued.

"I don't believe that your sudden growth spurt was a bizarre happenstance," Timmy quickly said.

"Truthfully, neither do I, but I'm not going to blame Ashley's necklace without proof," Tiffany replied.

"Then we will get proof," Timmy replied.

"How?" Tiffany asked.

"We will need to get a hold of Monte and to do that, we need to go through Melanie," Timmy replied.

"So we're going to Melanie's house?" Tiffany questioned.

"Actually, she might be at work and she works at 'Curious Goods,'" Timmy replied.

"Oh cool, I've been wanting to go there and check that place out," Tiffany replied.

"Okay, well, you need to get dress so we can go," Timmy replied. "And Mom and Dad took both of their cars, so we'll have to walk."

"I'm okay with walking," Tiffany replied with a slight shrug. "But you do have to get out so I can get dressed."

"I'll be in the living room," Timmy replied before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

Once Tiffany was alone in her bedroom, she grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt. She put on the pants first and immediately noticed that they were extremely short in the legs.

"Ooh, my pants don't fit," Tiffany said barely above a whisper. "So my huge and sudden growth spurt might not be as cool as I thought." Tiffany took a moment to think of her options before moving to the door and opening it. She then hollered out for Timmy.

As Timmy was joining Tiffany near her bedroom door, he saw how short Tiffany's pants were.

"You need different pants," Timmy pointed out as if it wasn't obvious to Tiffany.

"I realize that, Timmy," Tiffany replied. "Let me borrow your gym pants and shirt."

Timmy glanced at Tiffany's feet for a moment before saying, "I'll get them for you, and I'm also going to give you my old pair of tennis shoes as well. I don't know if they will be too big on you are not, but I am certain that your shoes will now be too small for you."

"Ooh, I didn't even think about my shoes being too small now," Tiffany said.

Timmy slightly grinned before turning towards his bedroom and walking away.

Timmy was in his bedroom just long enough to grab his gym pants and shirt and his old pair of tennis shoes.

Moments later, after handing Tiffany his gym clothes and tennis shoes, he returned to the living room. Tiffany then followed him into the living room a couple of minutes later while wearing his gym clothes, a pair of socks and his tennis shoes.

When Timmy saw Tiffany's height while wearing his old pair of shoes, he depressingly said, "You are about an inch taller than me now; which sucks."

"Why does it suck?" Tiffany replied.

"Because older brothers are supposed to be taller than their younger sisters." Tiffany rolled her eyes as Timmy asked, "Anyway, where's the necklace?"

"I have it in my pocket... well your pocket since I'm wearing your pants," Tiffany replied.

Timmy thought for a moment before saying, "We should wrap it in tinfoil or something."

"Again, Timmy, we don't know if the necklace is cursed," Tiffany told him. "And even if it is cursed, it might have already did all that it is going to do to me."

"Will you please humor me and let's wrap the necklace in something?" Timmy quickly questioned.

"Okay, fine," Tiffany replied in a yielding tone and walking towards the kitchen. "I'll wrap it in a strip of tinfoil."

"Thank you," Timmy replied.

At Curious Goods, Nicki was reading the Monday paper at the display-case/counter and looking for anything that might suggest that someone was a victim of a cursed object.

Lizzy was in the lounging area and had just started watching the DVD of the 'Lion King.'

Melanie was sweeping the floor, and Jason was just returning from running an errand for Nicki.

When Nicki saw that Jason was entering the shop without carrying anything in, she asked, "Did you get those president stone carvings from Mr. Kramer?"

"I got them," Jason began. "He had put them all in one crate that is thirty inches long, thirty inches wide and twenty-four inches tall, and the crate is heavy and in the SUV. You're freakishly strong, Nicki, so would you mind giving me a hand with the crate."

"Of course," Nicki replied in an amused tone.

As Nicki was coming around the display-case/counter, Jason was adjusting the door so it would stay open.

Melanie continued to sweep the floor near the back door while Nicki and Jason were retrieving the crate, and as Nicki and Jason were carrying the crate inside, Timmy and Tiffany followed them in.

Nicki and Jason placed the crate down in front of the display-case/counter, and after Nicki had stood upright, she faced Timmy while questioning, "You're Timmy, right? Melanie's friend?"

"Yes, and this is my sister, Tiffany," Timmy replied as he and Tiffany joined Nicki and Jason next to the crate.

"Nice to meet you, Tiffany. I'm Nicki—the shop owner," she greeted before gesturing towards Jason and introducing him.

"Nice to meet you, two," Tiffany replied.

"Nice to meet you, Tiffany," Jason told her.

"So what brings you two in today?" Nicki questioned.

"We kind of need Melanie's help," Timmy replied. "Is she here?"

"I'm back here," Melanie announced and waved slightly.

When Timmy and Tiffany looked, they spotted Melanie near the shelves and she was making her way towards the display-case/counter with a broomstick in her hand.

"Nicki, I'm going to grab a screwdriver to pry off this lid," Jason told her.

Nicki simply nodded in acknowledgement before Jason could walk away.

"So, Timmy, what do you...?" Melanie got out before spotting Tiffany and abruptly stopped talking. Melanie glanced down at Tiffany's feet and saw that she was only wearing tennis shoes. "Tiffany, I saw you at the cemetery last Saturday, and you were about four inches shorter than me then, but now you and I are about the same height."

"That's why we are here," Timmy replied. "I think Tiffany had come across one of those objects that Monte is looking for and that object had caused her drastic growth spurt."

Melanie gestured towards Nicki while saying, "Nicki also looks for those objects and then removes them from the public when she comes across one."

"Do you know what the object is?" Nicki asked.

Tiffany pulled out a ball of tinfoil while saying, "Timmy thinks that it's the necklace that I have wrapped in this tinfoil, but I'm not as certain."

"Show me the necklace and I might be able to tell you when I see it," Melanie replied.

"How can you tell one way or the other?" Timmy quickly asked.

"Timmy, I'm a psychic and I can sense things that most people can't." Timmy stared skeptically at Melanie as she continued to say, "In fact, all of those times when people thought I was having a schizophrenic episode, I was actually having a psychic vision. Although if you ask my dad, he will tell you that I'm simply a lucky guesser. He doesn't believe in psychics."

"Neither do I," Timmy replied.

"I do," Tiffany replied while pulling out the necklace from the tinfoil and holding it up by the chain. "I believe in psychics."

"I don't sense anything odd or magical about that necklace," Melanie began. Jason stepped up next to Nicki while holding a flat-head screwdriver. "But I would like to hold it in case there is something there that I'm not sensing by sight."

"Sure, you can hold it," Tiffany replied before holding it out for Melanie to take.

Melanie mentally prepared herself before forcing herself to take the necklace.

As soon as Melanie took the necklace, she was given a vision of Ashley—while wearing the necklace—looking at an odd recipe book, saying aloud the odd ingredients and then mixing a concoction with those ingredients. The concoction turned yellow and Melanie's vision ended with Tiffany and Ashley drinking the concoction.

When Melanie came out of her vision, Nicki said, "You had a vision, I could tell. What did you see?"

"I saw Ashley—Ashley and Tiffany are good friends," Melanie said while looking at Nicki. "Anyway, in my vision, Ashley was creating some kind of concoction from unusual ingredients."

"What kind of ingredients?" Jason was the one to ask.

Melanie slightly shrugged before saying, "An egg from a robin, crush seeds from a lemon and crushed ginger were the only ingredients that I actually caught sight of."

"Your vision had to have been about Ashley making potions from her grandmother's grimoire," Tiffany shared.

"Ashley's grandma owns a grimoire?" Nicki quickly questioned.

"She did when she was alive," Tiffany replied. "Ashley's grandma died in a freak accident about thirty years ago. Her things were boxed up and stored in the attic and about two weeks ago, Ashley was snooping through those boxes and found the grimoire."

"Okay, well, my vision ended with you and Ashley drinking one of her concoctions," Melanie replied.

"So that was a magical potion that she and I drank last night," Tiffany said as if to herself.

"You couldn't have mentioned to me earlier that you had drunk a magical potion last night when I pointed out your radical growth spurt?" Timmy questioned.

"I thought Ashley was tricking me," Tiffany replied. "It looked and tasted like lemonade. Besides, even if I did believe that I had drank a magical potion, would you have believed me if I had told you?"

Timmy slightly shrugged before saying in an uncertain tone, "I might have."

"Tiffany, did Ashley say what the potion was supposed to do?" Nicki asked.

"It was supposed to have let us achieved our heart's desires and after I drank the potion, she gave me the necklace to wear," Tiffany said while pointing to the necklace that Melanie was still holding. "She said that the natural properties of the crystal will help seal the spell."

"Oh, uh, here's the necklace back," Melanie said while holding out the necklace for Tiffany to take. "And it's a normal necklace."

"Thanks," Tiffany replied while taking the necklace.

When Timmy found the chance to talk, he quickly questioned, "Tiffany? So your heart's desire was to grow about six feet tall?"

While putting the necklace back on, Tiffany replied, "I'll admit that I'm not hating being this tall, but my heart's desire is to become a successful veterinarian."

"Tiffany, I think you and I need to pay Ashley a visit," Nicki urged.

"She isn't home right now," Tiffany began and stuffing the crystal beneath her shirt. "Since summer vacation started, she baby-sits her little cousins from eight in the morning to five in the afternoon, Monday through Friday at her aunt and uncle's house."

"Could we go there and talk with her?" Nicki asked.

"Her aunt and uncle don't allow Ashley to have company or visitors while she's baby-sitting, and their house has security cameras set up," Tiffany replied. "So they would know if you and I would show up there."

"Okay, um… what time does she get home after baby-sitting?" Nicki questioned.

Tiffany shrugged before saying, "Around five-fifteen, give or take five minutes."

"Okay, um, I would like for you to introduce me to Ashley around five-thirty if you would," Nicki told her.

"Okay, sure. I can do that," Tiffany replied.

"Meanwhile, what in hell are you going to tell Mom and Dad about your severe growth spurt, Tiffany?" Timmy questioned.

Tiffany again shrugged before saying, "I'm open to suggestions."

"I don't have one," Timmy replied.

"The only suggestion I can come up with is to steer clear of your parents for as long as you can," Melanie said. "And yes, I know that suggestion isn't feasible, but that's the only thing I can come up with."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll deal with mom and dad when I have to," Tiffany replied.

"Tiffany, what time do your parents get home from work?" Nicki questioned.

Tiffany thought for a moment before saying, "My mom will get home first around two and my dad will get home sometime after three. Why?"

"If I talk to your mom before she sees your severe growth spurt, I believe I can prepare her for it," Nicki replied.

"How?" Tiffany questioned.

"By being honest with your mom and telling her why I own an antique store," Nicki replied.

"You don't own the store because of the business?" Timmy questioned.

So Nicki's voice wouldn't carry to Lizzy, as Lizzy watched her 'Lion King' DVD in the lounging area, Nicki stepped closer to Timmy and Tiffany and whispered, "Yes, I'm a store owner and I make a comfortable living at it, but my true reason for owning this store is to find cursed objects—like those barbells that you had bought last Saturday—and put them where no one can get their hands on them."

"So you and Monte work together?" Timmy questioned.

Nicki again whispered as she said, "When it comes to finding those cursed objects, yes, Monte, Monte's family and I work together, but Monte or his family doesn't work at this store."

Timmy nodded before asking, "Is there a reason you're whispering?"

"There is." Nicki replied before gesturing towards the lounging area. "My eight-year-old daughter is within earshot of us and I don't want her knowing about those—" Nicki mouthed out the word _cursed_ "—objects until she's much older. Anyway, to get back on subject, Tiffany, I think it would be best if you or your brother get your mom and possibly your dad here so I can prepare them for what they will see when they see you again."

"I'm okay with that," Tiffany replied. "Anyway, Nicki, do you sell clothes here? My clothes no longer fit, so I need new clothes."

"Sorry, Tiffany, but any clothes that I might get in to sell is usually for petite women," Nicki replied.

"Since you are now six feet tall like me, I can give you a pair of my jeans and a shirt," Melanie told Tiffany.

"Thanks, but I'll need more than one pair of change of clothes," Tiffany replied.

"Okay. I just figured that you would want to get out of your brother's gym clothes," Melanie replied.

"Is it obvious that I'm wearing Timmy's clothes?" Tiffany asked.

"I've seen Timmy in those clothes at school," Melanie replied. "So to me it was obvious. Anyway, the clothes at _Taylor's surplus_ are reasonably priced and I can usually find several pairs of blue jeans in my size… well, in our size anyway, when I go there. "

"Do you know which bus or buses that could get me to _Taylor's surplus_?" Tiffany questioned.

"Lizzy actually needs pants and shirts as well," Nicki began. "So, Jason, I'm going to have you mind the store as Lizzy and I go with Tiffany and Timmy to _Taylor's surplus_."

"Certainly," Jason quickly said.

"I don't need anything from _Taylor's surplus_ ," Timmy informed. "So I'm just going to go back home."

"That's fine," Nicki assured him. "I can drop you off at your house before Tiffany, Lizzy and I go."

"Okay, sure," Timmy replied.

"Lizzy," Nicki slightly hollered out. "Stop your show and turn off the TV and the DVD player."

"Why?" Lizzy questioned.

"Because you and I are going clothes shopping with Tiffany," Nicki replied. "So turn off everything and let's go. You can finish watching your show when we get back."

"Fine," Lizzy replied before she went to shut everything off.

"I'm going to pry this lid off," Jason announced.

Nicki, Melanie, Tiffany and Timmy each took a step back, and when Jason had room, he went to pry off the lid.

Once the lid was off Nicki picked up one of the mini-stone bust sculptures—the one of Abraham Lincoln.

As Lizzy was joining the group next to the crate, she gestured towards the mini-stone bust that Nicki held and said, "That's a small statue."

"Since it's just the head, neck, shoulders and chest of a statue, this is called a bust sculpture," Nicki replied. "And as small as this is, it has some weight to it. So attempting to pick it up to look at it and dropping it on your foot, could break your foot."

"I won't touch it," Lizzy replied.

"Good," Nicki replied.

"What company manufactures bust sculptures like that?" Tiffany asked.

"These bust sculptures weren't manufactured; they were carved by Dustin Kramer," Nicki began. "Dustin Kramer died recently and the collection went to his nephew Jamie Kramer. Jamie doesn't want the collection, so he's selling it here on consignment."

"Who are the bust sculptures of?" Timmy asked.

"They are of the Presidents of the United States," Nicki replied.

Tiffany thought for a moment before saying, "So there should be forty-five bust sculptures there."

"There should be," Nicki replied with a grin. "Anyway, Jason, use the dolly and move the crate to the back. I'll look through it when Lizzy and I return."

"On it," Jason replied before walking away.

"Nicki, are you going to sell off all forty-five bust sculptures as a collection or are you going to sell them off individually?" Timmy questioned.

"Jamie would like to sell them off as a collection, but if no one is willing to buy them as a collection after a few weeks, then he will allow me to sell them off anyway I can," Nicki replied. "Anyway, I'll drive you home, Timmy, and then Tiffany, Lizzy and I will continue on to _Taylor's surplus_."

"Alright," Timmy replied.

Before Nicki, Lizzy, Timmy and Tiffany could make a move towards the front door, Julius and then Chloe entered the store.

As Melanie stared disturbingly at Julius, Nicki greeted them with, "Good morning, Chloe. Everett and your dad were in earlier."

"Yeah. Julius and I have just left my dad's house," Chloe replied as she and Julius moved closer. "He told me that he had brought you some things to be stored. Anyway, Nicki, the first thing that I'm here for is to introduce my son, Julius to you and to your crew."

"Nice to meet you, Julius," Nicki began before gesturing to who was who. "Meet my daughter Lizzy…"

"Hi, Lizzy," Julius politely told her.

"Hi," Lizzy bashfully replied as she pressed herself against Nicki.

"The others are Melanie, Timmy and Tiffany," Nicki continued while gesturing who was who. "Melanie works for me, and Timmy and Tiffany are her friends."

"Nice to meet you three," Julius politely told them.

"Nice to meet you," Timmy and Tiffany echoed.

"We never met, but I've seen you the Saturday before last Thanksgiving," Melanie replied before studying his reaction.

"Where were we when you saw me," Julius questioned curiously.

"My high school's football team…" Melanie gestured towards Timmy and Tiffany as she continued to say, "And their high school's football team as well, as far as that matter, played football against your high school's football team the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and you were their kicker."

"I'm going to have to take your word for that," Julius told Melanie.

"Melanie, Julius was in a severe accident last Saturday and because of that accident, he suffers from total amnesia," Chloe replied.

Melanie had sensed the half-truth and pursed her lips.

Tiffany cringed while uttering, "Yikes."

"My family and I have shown him some home videos in hopes to jog his memories, but so far he's not remembering anything," Chloe continued.

"Mom, was one of those football games that you had showed me, the game that Melanie was referring to?" Julius questioned.

Information about Julius popped into Melanie's head and she winced from a sudden headache.

"No," Chloe told Julius while Melanie was wincing. "Sophia was using the camera for her school project the night before and had run down the batteries, and so we didn't have a camera to video tape that game, which was a shame. The game that Melanie was referring to had gone into overtime and you kicked the field goal that won the game."

"Perhaps you can help me to remember, Melanie," Julius said as he looked towards her. "What was the final score of that game?"

Melanie pursed her lips for a moment before saying, "I have my doubts that telling you the answer will help you to remember that day, but to answer your question, here it is. Your team and my team scored a touchdown and the extra point each quarter that put the score at twenty-eight to twenty-eight at the end of the fourth quarter. When the two teams went into overtime, you scored the winning field goal, and the final score was thirty-one to twenty-eight."

"Was it a good game?" Julius questioned.

Melanie shrugged before saying, "I thought it was a good game even though my school's team lost to your school's team."

Julius grinned and before anything else could be said, everyone's attention was drawn to Jason as he was returning with the dolly.

"Julius, he's my other employee," Nicki told him as Jason pushed the dolly up to the group. "His name is Jason. Jason, meet Chloe's son, Julius."

"Nice to meet you," Jason and Julius each said to the other.

"Anyway, everyone, I need to cut this conversation short," Nicki continued. "Lizzy and I are going to assist Tiffany with something. So we were actually on our way out, Chloe, when you and your son entered."

"Okay, before you leave, Nicki, I actually had another reason why I came in," Chloe informed.

"Which is?" Nicki prompted for her to say.

"I would like to recruit Melanie's help if you can do without her for about an hour or so," Chloe replied.

"What kind of help do you need from me?" Melanie asked curiously.

Chloe glanced at Timmy and Tiffany before saying, "I need to find a certain item among nine other duplicate items."

"I'm okay with helping you with that as long as it's okay with Nicki," Melanie replied while looking at Nicki.

"I'm fine with it," Nicki replied. "In fact, Melanie, as long as you don't have any objections with it, I would like to employ your talents of finding that one special item among like items."

"I would be happy to, but my parents won't allow me to leave Chicago," Melanie replied.

"Where we are going, we will still be in Chicago," Chloe assured Melanie.

"Okay, Melanie, go with Chloe and Julius," Nicki began. "Jason will stay here and watch the store and Tiffany and Timmy will come with me and Lizzy."

"Do I need my purse?" Melanie questioned.

"You won't need it," Chloe told her.

"Okay, then I'm ready to go," Melanie told Chloe.

Chloe nodded before she turned towards the exit.

Within seconds, everyone—except for Jason—had left the store.

* * *

To Be Continued.


	22. A New Beginning Part 17

**A New Beginning Part 17**

As Melanie, Chloe and Julius were walking towards Chloe's black Chevy Tahoe, Julius told Melanie, "So you can have more leg room, you can take the front seat. I'll sit in back behind Mom."

"Okay, thanks," Melanie replied. "It's nice of you to give me the front seat."

"You're welcome," Julius said with a grin.

Melanie reached the front passenger door seconds before Chloe and Julius had reached their respective doors, and then waited until Chloe and Julius were opening their doors first.

Melanie had prepared herself to get a vision before opening the door, and then felt relieved when she didn't get one. She then hopped in and shut the door.

"Thanks for helping Julius and me to identify this cursed object, Melanie," Chloe said as everyone was putting on his or her seatbelt.

Melanie glanced at Julius before saying, "I'm happy to do it, and since you spoke of cursed objects in front of Julius, I'm assuming that Julius knows all about them."

"I do. I learned about them yesterday," Julius said as Chloe started the engine.

"I learned about them last week," Melanie shared as Chloe went to merge into traffic.

"Scary stuff, isn't it?" Julius questioned.

"It is," Melanie agreed.

"Anyway, Melanie, if you tell me more about that football game that you saw me play in perhaps it would help jog my memory," Julius urged.

Melanie pursed her lips before saying, "Julius, my psychic gifts goes beyond knowing which objects are cursed."

"Okay," Julius said in an uncertain tone. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't exactly know who you are, Kellogg, but I do know that you're not Julius," Melanie bluntly said. "Also I don't know why Chloe is okay with you possessing her son."

"Kellogg isn't possessing my son, Melanie," Chloe replied in a remorseful tone. "My son died last Saturday from a sporting accident and the Olympians had placed Kellogg's spirit inside my son's body. And even though I'm not happy about it, I am accepting it."

"Wait," Melanie quickly requested. "How do you know about the Olympians? Athena took your memories of them. And why did the Olympians placed Kellogg's spirit inside your son's body?"

"Athena restored my memories of her and Hermes and then told me about my son and Kellogg." Melanie winced again from another sudden headache as Chloe replied. "And Athena did it, so I wouldn't stand in Kellogg's way."

Julius saw when Melanie had winced and while using the gifts that the Olympians had allowed him to keep, he had reached out his mind and probed Melanie's mind, soul and body.

"As for why the Olympians did it..."

"Oh my God," Melanie uttered without allowing Chloe to finish her sentence. "Unbridled magic has been released into the mortal realm?"

Julius gasped slightly before saying under his breath, "Callidora."

"It has," Chloe replied to answer Melanie's question.

Melanie had mentally heard Julius more than she had physically heard him and questioned, "What is Callidora, Kellogg?"

"You need to call me Julius, Melanie, and Callidora isn't a what, but a who, and I'm surprised that you heard me," Julius said.

"I didn't hear you," Melanie confessed. "The name popped in my head with the overwhelming sensation of you addressing me as Callidora. So who is Callidora and why are you calling me by that name?"

"I wasn't calling you Callidora," Julius claimed. "You just remind me of her."

"Okay," Melanie said in a skeptical tone. "Who is she?"

"She was my cousin," Julius said.

"Your cousin or Kellogg's cousin?" Melanie asked as if to split hairs.

"Okay, fine, yes; Callidora was Kellogg's cousin," Julius said.

"How long ago did she die?" Melanie questioned.

"She didn't die; in fact quite the opposite," Julius replied.

"What's opposite of...?" The answer came to Melanie before she could finish her question. "She was born. You are one of the half-mortals that Athena had mentioned."

"I was a half-mortal; yes," Julius replied.

"And was Callidora a half-mortal too?" Melanie quickly asked.

"Two thousand years ago she was," Julius replied. "However, she couldn't adapt to living in the Underworld. In fact, she preferred the company of mortals over half-mortals, so she gave up what made her a half-mortal and allowed herself to be born into the mortal realm. She was also the first half-mortal to give up what had made her a half-mortal and her actions had inspired other half-mortals to follow."

"How does one become a half-mortal?" Melanie questioned.

"A person can't become a half-mortal; one is born that way," Julius replied.

"Give me an example of what you mean," Melanie requested.

"For an actual example, my father... well Kellogg's father, anyway, is Hermes and Kellogg's mother was mortal who died over twenty-five hundred years ago," Julius replied.

"So Callidora had one parent who was a God and one parent who was mortal?" Melanie questioned.

"She did, and before you asked, Apollo was Callidora's father," Julius replied.

"Apollo is the God of prophecy and oracles," Melanie commented. "Am I a psychic because my soul was once Callidora's soul?"

"I never said that your soul was once Callidora's soul," Julius quickly said.

"You didn't have to," Melanie replied. "Because I can actually feel that you know my soul. So now will you answer my question? Am I a psychic because my soul was once Callidora's soul?"

Julius pursed his lips before saying, "You are psychic because Apollo is a direct ancestor of your family's bloodline. By you having Callidora's soul and her being Apollo's daughter during her half-mortal life is only a coincidence. In fact, if anything, your psychic ability is affecting your soul and not the other way around."

"In what way is my psychic ability affecting my soul?" Melanie questioned.

"You have an old soul, and your soul have lived many lives," Julius began. "Normally it's a rule that you won't remember any of your past lives, but because of you being a psychic, that rule might not apply to you."

Melanie thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, I do have the occasional dreams of living in the past. I never imagine that any of those dreams were about me in a past life."

"You don't have actual memories of having a past life?" Julius asked.

Melanie thought for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "I don't. Just dreams and those dreams don't really happen often."

"That's good actually," Julius replied. "It means that your psychic ability isn't affecting your soul."

"That is good," Melanie agreed. "Anyway, getting back to the fact that unbridled magic had been released into the mortal realm. How did that happen?"

"Five half-mortals had released Hecate's water into the atmosphere and Hecate's water is highly enriched with magical properties," Julius was only able to get out.

"The rain had released the unbridled magic," Melanie uttered. "That's what I saw last Friday."

"You saw what exactly last Friday?" Julius questioned.

"Lizzy and I were at the park last Friday when it began raining, and when the rain first hit my skin, the world around me changed for about a minute," Melanie replied.

"What do you mean that the world around you had changed?" Julius questioned.

Melanie gestured towards Julius's car window and said, "Look out the window at your surroundings and imagine that you are seeing everything in a deep green tint. That is what I saw and that sight lasted for about a minute and then everything returned to normal. Anyway, what does unbridled magic being released and you taking over Julius's body have to do with one another?"

Julius took a breath before honestly and completely answering Melanie's question.

In Twin Falls, Idaho, around 10:00 A.M., Mountain Time, Ronnie—with Bridget's help—had filled out all of the employment and tax forms, and Bridget was now telling Ronnie what her responsibilities were going to be.

Ronnie's first task was shelving used books on a shelf that was designated for used books.

Ronnie began the task by going into the back room and grabbing the large, heavy box of used books that was brought in the Friday before by a man who was looking to sell his deceased mother's books.

A mind-buzzing sensation and slight confusion came over Ronnie once she stood upright with the box in her arms, but she was able to focus enough to put the box down on a gray two-shelf utility cart.

Once Ronnie had turned loose of the box, the mind-buzzing sensation and the confusion that she felt quickly shifted to a mild headache.

"Okay, that was weird," Ronnie said to herself as Bridget was walking up behind her.

As Ronnie was lightly massaging her temples, Bridget asked, "What was weird?"

Ronnie jerked herself around before saying, "I thought you were out front at the register."

"I was, but I just came back here to grab register tape," Bridget said while moving to where she kept the tape. "Anyway, what was weird?"

Ronnie thought for a moment before saying, "When I picked up the box, my head, for only a moment, felt as though it was the home to a large bee colony, and now I have a mild headache."

"Has that ever happened before?" Bridget asked. Ronnie pursed her lips and shook her head. "Most likely you had a head rush from your movements and picking up the box, but if it happens again let me know."

"Okay," Ronnie replied.

"Meanwhile, you should put those books up," Bridget said.

"Yes, Ma'am," Ronnie said before pushing the cart towards the front of the store.

Once at the shelf, Ronnie went to open the box and once again felt the mind-buzzing sensation and slight confusion when she came into contact with the box, followed by random images of a girl and sometimes of a woman. Ronnie saw these images so quickly that she saw over a hundred different views of the same girl or of the same woman within seconds. Sometimes the girl or woman was alone and sometimes the girl or woman was not alone.

Suddenly Ronnie was pulled back away from the box while hearing her name being called.

Ronnie faced the person who called her name and when she saw Bridget she asked, "What happen?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Bridget replied. "You were—for a lack of a better description—asleep on your feet with your eyes wide open and your hand on the box."

Ronnie thought for a moment before sharing, "When I touched the box, my head again felt as if it was the home to a large bee colony, but then that feeling quickly vanished and it was replaced by images in my mind of either a girl or of a woman. The girl or woman was sometimes alone and sometimes with other people, and regardless of who the girl or the woman was with, the two were never together."

"Ronnie, if you need to go see a doctor for whatever is going on with you, you have my permission to start working tomorrow or even the next day," Bridget told her.

"I'm good, Bridget," Ronnie replied as she moved to open the box. "I can do this."

"Okay," Bridget skeptically said.

Ronnie was able to open the box without feeling the mind-buzzing sensation, and then was able to pull out the first book without feeling any sensation as well. Ronnie glanced at the title to the book and saw that it was on meditation.

"See, I can do this," Ronnie told Bridget before moving to put the book on the shelf among the other books on meditation.

"Okay," Bridget said in a more convincing tone before going about her business.

The first five books that Ronnie took out and put up were one book on meditation, one book on hypnosis, one book on self-hypnosis and two books on past lives.

Ronnie reached into the box to pull out the next book, but what she grabbed instead was a large envelope that was stuff to its maximum capacity without ripping.

Without hesitation, Ronnie looked into the envelope and found photographs and one high capacity flash drive.

Also without hesitation, Ronnie looked at the photographs and saw that the photographs were the hardcopy of the images that had flashed quickly through her mind a short time before.

"Bridget," Ronnie called out as she continued to pull out other photographs from the envelope.

"What is it, Ronnie," Bridget asked as she moved closer.

"Earlier I told you that I saw images in my mind of a girl or a woman after touching the box," Ronnie told Bridget.

"Yes, Ronnie; there's nothing wrong with my memory," Bridget replied. "In fact, I actually have an excellent memory."

"Okay, well, these photographs are the images I saw," Ronnie continued.

"Where did those photographs come from?" Bridget quickly asked.

"They were in the box along with the books," Ronnie replied.

"And you are certain that those photographs are what you saw when images flashed through your mind?" Bridget questioned as if she had a theory.

"They are," Ronnie replied in a certain tone.

"Before today, has other images flashed through your mind?" Bridget asked.

Ronnie shook her head before saying, "No."

"What about your dreams?" Bridget questioned.

"What about them?" Ronnie asked in a puzzled tone.

"Do your dreams ever come true?" Bridget asked.

"I sure hope not," Ronnie quickly replied.

"Why do you say that?" Bridget asked curiously.

"Because I dream about vampires and demons, and please don't call me Buffy Summers or refer to me as a potential vampire slayer." Bridget grinned as Ronnie continued to say, "I get called Buffy too many times at school as it is. And besides, I don't dream that I'm fighting them. I just dream about them. I dream about their attacks."

"How long have you been dreaming about vampires and demons?" Bridget asked.

"I began dreaming about them soon after my eleventh birthday, and before that, as far as I know, I didn't dream," Ronnie replied.

"Everyone needs REM sleep to function properly, so I assure you that you did dream prior to your eleventh birthday," Bridget replied. "However, it is actually common for people not to remember dreaming at all even though they do dream."

"Okay," Ronnie replied skeptically. "I'll take your word for that."

Bridget grinned before saying, "Anyway, I would like to hear more about your dreams on vampires and demons."

Ronnie shrugged before saying, "There's really not much to tell. When I dream of demons, I dream that they are attacking individuals in wooden areas who happen to wander that way, but when I dream of vampires, I dream that they are attacking the homeless or the runaways in cities or small towns."

"That's about right," Bridget commented barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean that's about right?" Ronnie questioned.

"Ronnie, I don't mean to scare you, but vampires and demons are real," Bridget replied.

"Please tell me 'smile, you're on candid camera,'" Ronnie requested.

Bridget amusingly grinned before saying, "You're not on candid camera. Vampires and demons are indeed real and I believe that you are psychically dreaming about them."

"How do you know that vampires and demons are real?" Ronnie quickly asked.

"I can't answer you on how I know, but I do know, and they do exist," Bridget replied.

Ronnie thought for a moment before asking, "Are there vampires and demons around here?"

"There have been reports of people being killed by wild animals on the nearby hiking trails…" Bridget was only able to get out.

"Ms. Lubbock makes us watch the news, so I know all about those deaths," Ronnie quickly said.

"Yes, well, it's very possible that those deaths were from demons and not from wild animals," Bridget continued.

Ronnie cringed slightly before saying, "So there are, in fact, demons from hell among us."

"Demons… and vampires, as for as that matters, are not from hell, Ronnie," Bridget replied.

"Then where are they from if they didn't come from hell?" Ronnie quickly asked.

"They are spawned here in the mortal realm," Bridget replied. "In fact, once upon of time, each vampire and demon was human who worshiped the devil and sought out immortality; however, before the devil will grant someone immortality, the person had to correctly perform a ceremonial ritual, and the type of offering during the ritual would be what governs the type of demon a person would become. A blood offering—which is also the most common offering—will turn a person into a vampire most of the time. "

"So a vampire can't turn people into vampires?" Ronnie asked, as if she was confused by what she was just told.

"No, actually a vampire can turn people into vampires as well," Bridget corrected. "However, the devil worshipper who ascends into a vampire through a ceremonial ritual can change into a bat, but a person who is turned into a vampire by another vampire cannot."

"How do you know all of this?" Ronnie quickly asked.

"Again I can't answer how I know," Bridget replied.

"Okay," Ronnie skeptically replied. "Can you tell me if witches and werewolves are real as well?"

Bridget slightly grinned before saying, "They are both real, but again I can't tell you how I know."

"You can't tell me or you won't tell me?" Ronnie questioned.

"It doesn't matter which, Ronnie," Bridget replied.

"It does if you're being compelled by a vampire or have been spelled by a witch to keep quiet about it?" Ronnie countered. Before Bridget could reply, Ronnie continued to say, "Or you signed a nondisclosure agreement with Uncle Sam."

Bridget amusingly grinned before saying, "Or it could be a reason that you haven't thought of yet."

Ronnie thought for a moment before asking, "Will you tell me what that fourth reason is?"

"Ronnie, will you please accept the fact that I can't tell you how I know what I know about vampires, demons, witches and werewolves?"

"Fine, but can you tell me if Hollywood got it right with the vampires?" Ronnie asked as the front door to the store opened.

Bridget glanced towards the door and saw a thirty-three-year-old woman walking in. The woman had blonde hair, blue eyes and stood 5' 6".

"I'll tell you later." Bridget told Ronnie before gesturing towards the envelope. "Let me have those photos. I'm going to try to give them back to the person who sold me the box of books."

"Okay," Ronnie replied before handing over the envelope.

Ronnie turned her attention back towards the used books and pulled out another book on past lives from the box.

As Bridget moved towards the counter with the envelope she told the woman, "Welcome to 'Dragon's Lore'. Is there anything that I can help you find?"

"Yes, I was hoping that you had relaxation music," the woman said.

"I do," Bridget replied while putting the envelope on the counter near the cash register.

"Great," the woman pleasantly said. Bridget turned her complete focus on the woman. "This store is the third bookstore in the area I've been to and the only one who has relaxation music."

Bridget politely grinned before saying, "Yes, the other bookstores in this area mainly deal with novels and self-help books." She then gestured in a direction. "Anyway, come with me and I'll show you to the relaxation music."

The woman nodded and when Bridget walked away, the woman followed.

During the walk to the relaxation music CDs, the woman asked about a certain CD title.

"I believe I do have that CD," Bridget replied. "If not, I can order it for you."

"It would be great if you have it," the woman replied. "That CD works the best for me. I don't know how well it works for other people though."

"As long as it works for you, that's the only thing that matters," Bridget replied.

"That would be true if I was buying it for myself," the woman began. "My husband and I just moved here from Seattle. We're doctors and we are opening up our own hypnotherapist clinic, but we don't have the relaxation music."

"I do carry plenty relaxation music to choose from," Bridget replied while stepping up to the CDs and noticing the CD that the woman had asked for was there. As Bridget grabbed the CD, she continued to say, "And here is the music CD that you were asking about."

"Excellent," the woman replied while accepting the CD when Bridget offered it to her. "I'm going to pick out a few more CDs as well though."

"Can I offer you suggestions?" Bridget questioned.

"Certainly," the woman replied.

"How many CDs are you looking to buy?" Bridget asked.

"About four for now," the woman replied before holding up the CD that she had. "So three more."

Bridget nodded before selecting three CDs and saying, "These three are the ones that sell the most."

"I'll give them a try," the woman said before accepting the three discs.

"So how long have you been a hypnotherapist?" Bridget asked.

"I'm actually new to this form of therapy, but my husband had been a hypnotherapist for two years."

"Have your husband ever regress anyone to a past life?" Bridget asked.

The woman amusingly chuckled and when she saw that Bridget wasn't joking, she said, "Oh, you're serious." The woman glanced around the store. "Considering what kind of books that you sell, I should have known that you were serious. Anyway, sorry for laughing, but my husband and I don't believe in past lives."

Bridget politely grinned before saying, "It's fine that you don't. Anyway, is there anything else you are looking for?"

"Just the relaxing music," the woman replied.

Bridget nodded before she and the woman moved to the register.

The woman paid with a credit card, but before the woman stepped away with her purchase, she asked Bridget, "Why did you ask me if my husband had regressed anyone to a past life?"

"During the last six months Jennice—a hypnotist who does past life regression—comes in once every four to five weeks on a Saturday and does past life regression for my customers," Bridget began. "Since Jennice is a big hit among my customers, I would like for Jennice to come in more often than once every few weeks, but she can't. So I was hoping that your husband had experience with past life regression, and if he had, I was going to attempt to persuade him to come in as well."

"Well, as I said, my husband doesn't believe in past lives, so it' safe to say that he doesn't know anything about regressing anyone to a past life," the woman said.

"Yes, I gathered that from what you had said earlier," Bridget replied.

"Okay, well, if I need more relaxation music, I'll be back," the woman replied before slightly waving. "Take care."

"Take care," Bridget echoed before the woman turned and walked away.

As the woman was leaving, a young man and a young woman were walking in.

* * *

To Be Continued.


End file.
